As the Phoenix Falls
by BlueSun91
Summary: Some seem gentle at heart, some seem kind and forgiving, and some seem terrible in the eyes of the innocent. But nothing is as it seems. Lu Xun x OC, slight Gan Ning x SSX in later chapters. Complete!
1. Home Not So Sweet Home

**Yay! My third fic. I guessing I won't get to many reviews on this cuz this category doesn't seem to popular, but once they make DW6 it'll probably get more interesting. I hope they make Da Qiao and Sun Ce's daughter. lol Anyways, I'll do my best. I had to get away from the category my other stories were in, talk about polluted with flamers or what? Here's chapter one! R&R! **

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_**Chapter 1 **_

_**Home Not So Sweet Home**_

Late afternoon…

The massive building before her was so distant in her memory. She had once called it home, but that was nearly ten long years ago. Now it was just some remote facade, a figment of her past, along with all the people within its corridors and interior that resembled the twists and turns of a labyrinth. Once you go in it takes hours to find your way out.

Sun Xuan, simple and some what naïve sixteen year-old, stared out the carriage window at the massive Wu palace. Something in her mind was happy to be 'home' where her family was waiting. But in her heart something was reluctant to get anywhere near it. It seemed that everyone in the palace was known for something. For example, her uncle Zhou Yu, he was known for his intelligence and expertise, but mostly for his good looks. And her other uncle, Sun Quan, he would soon be emperor and he seemed to never be shaken by the worst, so calm under pressure. Even her own mother, Da Qiao, who was so refined and so beautiful despite her age. It seemed the only one that she felt comfortable with was her father, Sun Ce, she couldn't wait to see him after so long, but more importantly she wanted to know _why_ she was returning to Wu.

Sun Xuan sighed at her misfortune, she felt that she would never live up to the reputations of the great general that defend her and her family. Suddenly, the carriage came to a halt before a soldier dressed in red opened the carriage door. He bowed and helped her out of the carriage as if she would shatter like a vase if she tried to get out herself. Xuan mentally scolded him.

Once out of the carriage, Xuan looked up the long stair case that led into the palace. She could see her mother waiting patiently with a small smile. Sun Xuan walked up the stairs as she looked up at her mother, whose beauty hadn't changed since the day her daughter left. It had been ten years since she had seen her. When Xuan was six she had been sent to an all girls boarding school in the south east, because her mother had decided that her daughter was under disciplined and sent her away to school, Sun Ce tried to convince her otherwise, but there was no use in that. Sun Ce promised her before she had left, that he would be here waiting for her to return, she was definitely a daddy's girl. She didn't know why he wasn't standing there with Da Qiao.

"Sun Xuan" Da Qiao said as she took her daughter in a modest smile. She seemed surprisingly calm even though she was seeing her daughter for the first time in ten years. "How are you?"

"Fine, I suppose" Xuan said, looking around for Sun Ce. "Where's father?"

Da Qiao had already turned away, ignoring her question, and heading for the palace doors.

"Come" Da Qiao said, gesturing Xuan to follow. "There isn't a party if the guest of honor isn't present"

"Party?" Sun Xuan questioned as she followed the eldest Qiao through the halls. "What party?"

"The welcoming party that my sister planned for you" Da Qiao said with a little giggle. "Xiao insisted and when she makes up her mind, there really is no purpose in trying to change her mind"

Xuan envied her mother innocent modesty and her refined nature. Although now around the age of thirty one, Da Qiao didn't look the slightest moment past seventeen, how does she do it!

Da Qiao stopped outside the double door that led into the great hall, where everyone was eating dinner and the sounds of drunken laughter and chit-chat could be easily heard. Da Qiao turned to her daughter with an innocent smile. "Sun Xuan, after the party, we to um… talk about something…"

"Er… Okay?" Sun Xuan replied with a shrug. With that, Da Qiao led them into the great hall. Sun Xuan eyed everyone in the room. She recognized her aunts, Xiao Qiao and Sun Shang Xiang, who were talking with some other generals that she didn't know and her uncle, Sun Quan, and grandmother, Lady Wu. Lady Wu was extraordinarily beautiful, not a wrinkle was on her face despite being almost fifty. Upon noticing Xuan, Lady Wu stood and approached her grand daughter with a warm smile. Soon the room was silent, with all eyes on her.

"Lady Wu" Da Qiao said as if she were a goddess and went into a deep bow. Sun Xuan just stared, even the empress's gaze was over whelming.

"Ah, Sun Xuan, welcome home" Lady Wu chimed with a bow, which made Xuan feel a strange sense of superiority to have the Wu empress bow before her. Everyone in the room started talking amongst each other over the arrival of the girl. Xiao Qiao and Sun Shang Xiang appeared next to her giving her a share of hugs.

"Young Xuan, I remember the very day of the birth and now you have grown into a beautiful young woman." Lady Wu smiled warmly as she spoke. "Oh, how proud your father would be"

"…" Sun Xuan was stricken by the empress's last statement "My father… _Would be_? Why? Where is he?"

Da Qiao shuttered behind her as Xiao Qiao, took her sister in her arms as she sobbed. Sun Xuan looked at her mother who was crying uncontrollably, which meant something was wrong. Shang Xian placed her hand on Da's shoulder.

"Where is my father?" Sun Xuan said with slight anger. "What is going on?"

Everyone in the room seemed to hang there heads in despair and some even sobbed a little, which left Xuan in confusion. What happened to Sun Ce?

"My apologies, Xuan, I suppose you have yet to know…" Lady Wu apologized, clasping her hands in front of her as she frowned in sorrow. "But… In your absence, your father had taken ill, and I'm afraid he…" Her voice trailed off. That was all Xuan needed to hear as she averted her eyes trying to suppress her anger and tears.

"No that is a lie" Xuan said simply and firmly. "He's here, just hiding. He used to love to trick me like that. No, this just some disgusting game that you're playing"

Many gasped in disbelief and some were angry that Xuan would have the arrogance to speak to the empress in such a way. Lady Wu just stared at her, not shaken by the girl's denial over her father's death.

"Xuan! How dare you speak to her in such a tone! Have you no respect!" Da whispered scornfully as she grabbed her daughters shoulder, but Xuan pulled her self from her grip. Da, still in a fit of tears, was shocked at Xuan's defiance.

"He broke his promise" Xuan stated, putting her face in her hands. "He said he'd be here!"

"I understand, my dear, but he…" Lady Wu said trying to hug the shaken girl, but Xuan didn't want her sympathy, she pushed her away as people began to gasp again. Xuan, unable to take the attention and unable to accept it, dashed from the room in a random direction.

"Xuan!" Da shouted, but her daughter was already gone.

Lady Wu had stumbled and fallen to the floor and many generals tried to assist her. Sun Quan came running to his mother's side and helped her to her feet. Lady Wu brushed herself off and stared in the direction in which Xuan had disappeared to.

"Oh, Lady Wu!" Da Qiao sobbed, falling to her knees. "Please forgive me for my daughter's actions!" Da begged.

"Lady Da Qiao, please don't be sorry, I am not angry" Lady Wu chimed, pulling Da to her feet.

"Damn that little wretch! Who does she think she is!" Gan Ning scoffed, sitting down. He was already drunk, so he didn't mean to insult Sun Ce's daughter like that.

"Now, now, Gan Ning" Lady Wu told the pirate. "Can you honestly blame her? Can any of you?" She asked turning to the crowd of generals, who had taken their seat once more. "How would react if you found that one so dear to you has passed? You wouldn't be able to see them smile or hear them laugh. I am not angry just because she is my grand daughter, I am not angry because I know how she feels"

Many generals exchanged glances. They're empress had a mysterious aura around her. And she treated each and everyone of the generals as equals and as if they were her own. Lady Wu sighed and looked to the ceiling as if she were looking at the sky. "Losing my beloved Jian, was difficult to bear on its own, but… just recently I have also lost my eldest son… A mother shouldn't out live her son…" She said, placing a hand on her face and smiling warmly. "The only thing that keeps me going is I know that I shall see them again very soon…" She glanced at Da Qiao, who was taken by her words. She glanced at her daughter, whose tomboyish personality made her proud. She glanced at them all before walking off to the exit before speaking as she neared the doorway.

"General Lu Xun" She summoned, facing the doorway. Lu Xun stood and approached her.

"Yes M'lady" He replied, bowing even though she wasn't facing him.

"May I speak with you privately?" She asked, even though the need to ask was unnecessary.

"Of course" He replied, as he followed her out of the room.

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Lady Wu led Lu Xun into a vacant meditation room that had a lattice going up the side of the wall with a enormous rose vine growing up the lattice like a ladder.

"Lady Wu?" Lu Xun murmured, feeling uneasy as to why the empress wanted to speak to him privately. Lady Wu approached to rose vine and smelt on of the blossoms before speaking.

"Lu Xun, Only grandson of the famous Lu Jun, he was a personal friend of mine. He too, I shall be seeing again very soon" Lady Wu stated as if she weren't talking to Xun, but herself. "You mother, Jia Xun, I also knew her, she was a beautiful young woman. She and I, despite the age difference, were best friends. She also passed on due to illness. Your father… I can't say I knew him personally, but he did serve Wu with great ambition, even to the very end."

"Lady Wu… I…" Lu Xun murmured, uncertain of his purpose in the conversation.

"You read a lot, I will often find you in the library almost every day completely focused on the words before you" She giggled a little "You are also a great fighter, if you are not reading you are sparring. I am impressed by your loyalties to Wu" Her words surprised Xun. She seemed to know every little thing about him, she was after all amazing like that.

"You remind me so much your mother with your integrity and intellect, but also your prowess in battle and your loyalty matches that of your father greatly" She told him, turning to him finally with a blood red rose in her hand.

"… I am flattered, Lady Wu, but… what does…" Lu Xun started in uncertainty.

"No doubt that the actions taken by grand daughter this evening aroused your anger, no?"

"No disrespect, M'lady, but the way she treated you was unacceptable" He replied with disdain against Sun Xuan. "But I also understand the meaning of your words earlier… I have been burdened by the death of both my mother and father. I suppose I can relate to lady Xuan's distress"

Lady Wu mentally noted that Xun had already memorized Sun Xuan's name.

"I anticipated that" Lady Wu accredited "That is why I find you the ideal one to talk to her"

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30 minutes later- Sunset-

Xuan didn't have an idea where she was going. The only objective she had was to get as far away from everyone as possible. She came to a peach garden in the courtyard in the center of the palace. All of her troubles were forgotten for a moment as she admired the extraordinary sight. The way the tiny blossoms caught the magnificent glow of the spring sunset. She had never seen such a scene. It was so peaceful.

"It's like a dream" Xuan stated to herself.

"That's its purpose" Someone said from behind her. Xuan whipped around to find a young man, perhaps a year older, leaned against the doorway. Xuan was angry that someone had the haughtiness to pursue her even if he was handsome. Especially that it was some one she didn't know.

"Go away" She told him as she stalked off further into the dream-like courtyard.

"My apologies, I am afraid I'll have to refrain from your request" He told her, as he followed her into towards a tiny lake that had a cement bench next to it, where Xuan invited herself to sit.

"Whatever" Xuan scoffed, she was not normally this rude, she just didn't appreciate the first thing she would hear was 'your father is dead'. "Do as you please"

"Very well" The young man said leaning against a peach tree, whose branch's hung over the lake. "I would like to discuss you father's death with you"

"That is none of your concern" Xuan told him, eyeing his angelic face with disdain. _'Great, another good looking smart person…. How can such people exist?' _Xuan thought.

"Lady Wu, asked me to persuade you to come back inside" The man said, letting a falling peach blossom, fall into his palm.

"You try in vain. I can't possibly face all of them again, even if I wanted to, especially my mother or Lady Wu" Xuan sighed, looking at her reflection in the water.

"I don't know about Lady Da, but Lady Wu understands your grief as do I" He told her, glancing at her. He was impressed by her beauty, a smile would only increase that beauty.

"You? Why?" Xuan asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"At least you have a mother, unlike myself. I have neither. And my father wasn't as comforting as Lord Sun Ce. In fact, I almost never saw my father, he was either at war, sparring, or getting drunk somewhere until he was killed in battle"

"And you mother?" Xuan asked, suddenly very interested in what this young man had to say. "What of her?"

"She was my father's opposite and better half" He said, sighing "But one day, when I was a child, my village was attacked by a Wei infantry and she along with many of others were killed, but fortunately for me, A Wu general, Lu Meng, whom I had met one time, recognized me and rescued me in time. I've been here ever since"

"Really? That's so sad, I'm sorry" Xuan said, feeling guilty after hearing his story. "I apologize for my disdain, towards you"

"Don't worry about it. So… " He told her, pushing himself off the tree and facing her. "Will you come back in now? There is no party if you're not there."

"Oh, you heard about the party too?" Xuan smiled, following him.

"Who hasn't? With Xiao being announcer, who proceeds to run through the halls screaming 'Party! Party!' at five in the morning, who doesn't know?" Xuan had to laugh. She was beginning think she could actually enjoy it here.

"By the way" He said as they entered the corridor. "I'm Lu Xun"

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**There's ch. 1! Hope U like!By the way, Sun Xuan is not a big a bitch as she seemed in this chapter, you'll see. I didn't know the actual names of Lu Xun's parents and his dad probably wasn't so mean, srry! I makes it more interesting! R&R! Hope U enjoyed! See Ya! **


	2. Misunderstood

**TWO REVIEWS! Aww well, I'm not complaining. Like I said earlier, DW isn't as popular anymore Boo Hoo! Doesn't matter I just like getting my ideas out in the open for anybody to read. Here's chapter 2! Hi CertifiedBaka! Hi forgetmenot45! Thanx 4 reviewing! **

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_**Chapter 2 **_

_**Misunderstood**_

Early that evening…

Xiao Qiao, being her vivacious self, bounced around the room like a ball in a silly daze over the disappearance of the guest of honor. She feared her party would go to waste on nothing but men getting drunk.

"And I worked so hard!" She whined before noticing her sister, Da, sitting by herself at a far table. "Da!" Xiao called as she scrambled over to her older sister. "Why are you all the way over her by your self?"

"Not now, Xiao" Da replied with a sigh in frustration.

"But what's wrong? I'm not leaving until you tell me!" She stated crossing her arms and glaring at Da with an expression that aloud no dissuasion. Da shook her head at the girl's determination.

"I don't know" Da admitted in exasperation as she sighed again except in absolute contempt. "Why would Xuan act so illogically! I don't understand why she would act so disrespectfully. I don't understand her!"

"And that is why she rebelled" a cool voice said from behind. Da and Xiao turned to see Lady Wu approaching them. She had just returned from somewhere with Lu Xun, whom wasn't with her. She gazed at the rose in her hands as she took a seat next to the eldest Qiao.

"Lady Wu?" Da said in slight awe. "I apologize for my outburst. Xuan just…"

"Xuan has just found out that her father has died. She believes she is the only one this earth who feels that no one know how being alone feels"

"But she's not alone" Da replied, sighing again. "I'm sorry, Lady Wu, for both my daughters dishonor and for my own misunderstandings."

Lady Wu chuckled lightly at the woman's silly words. "Lady Qiao, have you noticed that you worry a little too much? You should relax a little bit. There's no need to act so tense"

"Yeah!" Xiao chirped, finally speaking after being silent for so long, which wasn't normal for the hyper active girl. "Da's always been a worry wart, even when we were little" She giggled as she went to grasp a peach from the bowl that was sitting in the middle of the table.

"I suppose I should go talk with her" Da said preparing to stand and leave after glaring at her sister for her offensive comment.

"No need" Lady Wu told her as she bade Da to sit again. "I have already chosen a person of particular preference to go and speak with Xuan. They should be returning soon.

As if at her will, the velvet curtain that draped over a side door, simply for decoration, was drawn open to reveal Lu Xun and Sun Xuan, who cringed when the many eyes of the Wu officers fell on her.

Lu Xun stepped aside to let her pass. Xuan glanced at him in reluctance, but an adorable smile that spread across his face gave her a bizarre boost of self-confidence. With his blessing, Xuan took a random spot at the front of the large room. She looked upon all of their faces in shame, some even being her family. She glanced back at Xun, who was now leaned against the wall still smiling.

"… Everyone…" Was all she could utter at first. "I… I apologize for… for my rudeness earlier… I guess I over reacted a little… I just…" Several officers exchanged glances, Xuan wasn't certain if that was good or bad. "… I'm sorry…" She lamented as tears formed in her eyes. She had never been so embarrassed and so misunderstood in her life. She wished she could go back to the school, where isolation and getting into trouble was ordinary.

Lady Wu, who had quietly been watching, although as intellectual as she seemed, was baffled to why the girl broke down so easily. She looked at all the Wu officers, who seemed to be having mixed feeling and concluded that Xuan's apology was met.

Unable to take the heartache anymore, Xuan stood and left the room, even though she told Xun she would stay for the party, but how can you honestly enjoy a party when no more than an hour ago did you find out after ten years that you father is dead and all that time seeing him was all you wanted. As she passed Xun by, she didn't even give him a passing glance. He watched her walk down the hall until she broke into a run as if she were being chased by wolves.

Talk began to circulate once more as Xun took his place at the table with Sun Shang Xiang and the now completely intoxicated Gan Ning. Gan Ning laughed as Xun returned to the table. Apparently, he had missed Xuan's little speech.

"And where Hiccup have you Hiccup been?" He demanded loudly. Xun glared at him a moment, but shrugged it off figuring Ning didn't even know what he said.

"None of your business" Xun replied even though Ning hadn't heard him as he had fallen off his chair, unconscious, that was how he normally ended his days. Something had to knock him out or he'd never get to sleep. Xun glanced at Shang , who would normally be teasing Ning, but she seemed to distant in her mind to have even noticed.

"Shang Xiang" He called her, knocking the girl out of her thoughts. "Shang, is something wrong?"

"Huh? Oh, Xun I didn't know you had returned" She said with a fake smile. "No, I'm fine" She insisted. But the unconvinced expression on his face deemed her lie evident before she sighed in exasperation. "Oh, who am I kidding? It's Xuan, of course. She's so…" She paused to think of the correct word.

"Confusing?" Xun answered for her pondering with his own opinion.

"Yes, she's so confusing and refuses to listen to reason" Shang told him with aggravation. "I understand her pain over Sun Ce, everyone does, but… She was _always_ that way. When she was five there was a crowd of children and I insisted that she play with them, but she refused and wanted to play by herself and they even wanted her to join them" Shang paused to sigh. "and she told me that she didn't like living here, or more so, she said she didn't even like the fact that she was _related_ to someone like me" She gave Xun a disbelieving look before continuing. "Someone like me?" She repeated. "What did she mean by that?... It broke my heart, but I never told anyone that…" She looked Xun sharply in the eye. "Why does she hate it here so much?"

"…" For once, Xun didn't have an answer. "I don't know. Where was she returning from today?" He asked trying to get information.

"Boarding school. Da said Xuan wasn't disciplined enough, because she had thrown a temper tantrum during a ceremony. I tried to persuade her that kids will be kids, but she was certain that it was a discipline issue" Shang said, shaking her head. "Even Sun Ce couldn't change her mind"

"I see" Xun told her, nodding. "Lady Xuan, I believe has a self-worth issue"

"Huh?"

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Meanwhile, in the hall…

"Xuan! Xuan! Where are you!" Da called down the corridor.

Though worried, Da was infuriated by her daughter's behavior. She couldn't find Xuan anywhere in the massive Wu palace, she couldn't have gone far. Lady Wu and Xiao had also followed her in search for Xuan.

"She's not down here" Xiao declared as she came around the corner from.

"Arrgh!" Da bellowed in scorn. "What is the matter with that girl?" She pondered before turning to Lady Wu, who was just standing there with an unshaken expression and a content smile. "I'm sorry, Lady Wu, for all this" Da apologized for the third time.

"This is only a suggestion" Xuan said, clasping her hands together in front of her. "I suggest that we leave Xuan be, for now. She can't go beyond the palace walls without permission, so escape isn't likely. Besides, Xuan will never cooperate with someone who only has means to yell at her" She said referring to Da, who recoiled at the comment. "But that's your decision" Lady Wu concluded awaiting a reply.

Da hesitated for a moment. "… Very well" Da told her as before the three returned to the Great Hall.

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Meanwhile, in a random bedroom…

Xuan could hear her mother still calling her, but Xuan had no intention on facing her. All she would get was a series of disappointed yells and some sort of punishment, she couldn't remember that last time her mother had just sat down with her and just talked about anything like the weather or horses or random things such as that. It was always about principles and purpose with Da. Things like etiquette and responsibility, never anything fun. That was one and the most important reason she hated being near her mother. As if she did one thing incorrectly the world would end. Da seemed to want Xuan to be some snotty, preppy little good for nothing that had to be protected who waited at home for her husband to return. Where's the fun in that?

Xuan had been running down the corridor in search for somewhere to hide, when she came upon a dead end and was forced to retreat into a nearby room, which turned out to be someone's bedroom. She looked around the rather large room finding many books, obviously a book worm. There were also many scrolls and maps. She knew she should leave before the occupant returned, but she didn't want to be found by Da. Where would she go anyways?

She felt a pang of guilt in her chest. "I'm sorry, Lu Xun, I know I promised I would go back, but I just want to be alone…" She said to herself as she climbed onto the bed. "If only you knew…"

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Back at the Great hall...

Lu Xun noticed Lady Wu and the Qiao's returning into the room before turning back to Shang Xiang, who was confused by his words. "Self-worth? But Xuan…" She paused to ponder it for a moment as it began to blend together. "But Xuan never was a depressed child…"

"But you haven't seen her in ten years" Xun told her, leaning back in the chair. "And besides, if you were depressed, would you let it show?"

Shang eyed him for a moment before sighing. "But what reason would she be depressed about?"

Lu Xun shrugged. "That's what needs to be found out" He concluded as he stood and left the room. What could be troubling the girl? It really wasn't any of his business, but his inquiring mind had questions to be answered the next time he saw her. He headed for his room with no intention on finding her. But the moment he opened his bedroom door, he found that he wouldn't need to anyways. There lay Sun Xuan, peacefully asleep.

"…" Taken by surprise, Xun approached her ready to wake her up, but decided to just let her sleep, her day was bad enough and it was obvious that she was ready for that day to end. What a coincidence though, that she would end up in _his_ room over any room in the entire palace. He gazed at her pretty form for a moment before turning away.

Feeling tired himself, Xun collapsed next to the bed as he leaned his head against the bed as he thought to himself before he fell into his own slumber.

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**Finally I finished this chappie! That wasn't the greatest chapter I ever wrote so please bear with me! It'll get better I promise! lol See ya! Please review! **


	3. Picture Perfect Beauty

**Ooooo, I'm back! And perky as EVER! lol Hee hee! I am determined to make it more funny and you're probably thinking that Xuan is a real b-tch, no? Don't worry, she has a secret! You'll find out in this chappie! Shut up! You're giving it away, you idiot! …I's is srry. lol Here's chapter 3! **

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_**Chapter 3 **_

_**Picture perfect beauty**_

A few hours before dawn, Lu Xun's room…

_"What's wrong?" The strange man asked, playing with a lock of Xuan's hair. " Are you scared?" _

_Xuan didn't answer. The man bent towards her so her face was leveled with his. The pale moon light shown in from the window and illuminated his young face. He smiled malevolently as he gazed at her face with eyes of ebony and wickedness. His hair was almost as dark as his eyes. _

_"Don't worry, I won't kill you" He said, now observing the rest of her before adding and intimidating "Yet" Before he started caressing her neck and working his way downward. _

_"N-no!" Xuan was finally able to shriek. "Stop it!" But he didn't seem to hear her as she began to shake her head rabidly and it all disappeared suddenly. _

"Lady Xuan?" She woke to find Lu Xun staring at her with an alarmed expression. "Are you alright?" He asked, questioning her heavy breathing and why she was sweating.

"W-where am I?" She asked skittishly embracing her self, trying to stop her shaking. She looked at him which made her feel a little relieved.

"You're in my room" He replied, sitting on the bed next to her. Xuan looked around the room as her memory finally returned as she recalled running out of the Great hall and taking refuge in a random bedroom and accidentally falling asleep. "Are you alright?" He asked again.

"Oh, yes I remember now… Don't worry, it was just a bad dream I was having" She told him sheepishly. "Sorry about taking your room without your permission. I was hiding from my mother. I should go" She stood and advanced to the door.

"Wait" He objected as she turned back to him. "Where will you go?" He asked with empathy as the gentle moon light fell on his charming face that made Xuan want to melt.

"… I um… I don't know, I guess…" She admitted disgracefully as she hung her head in shame, realizing that she had forced him to sleep of the floor, because she had taken his bed and he was so considerate that he let her stay. She glanced up at him as he bade her to come back in before he took a seat his desk keeping that pure smile on his face as he lit a candle. **(With a match, I guess Shrugs)**

"But… What about you… Where will you sleep?" Xuan asked, walking back into the room.

"Don't worry, it is not like I haven't slept on the ground before" He insisted, referring to his many battles where he slept on the ground which made Xuan feel ignorant for questioning him. "Besides, I'm not tired anyways"

"Then what are you going to do?" Xuan asked, a question she wanted to take back, because it made her seem so nosy. "I-I mean… If you don't mind my asking"

He paused to chuckle a little before looking back at her still smiling. "You remind me of Lady Da. Modest when it isn't necessary to be." He told her, receiving an unintended scowl from Xuan. "Is that bad?"

"No" Xuan sighed and sat on the bed and sighed. "I just never compared myself to my mother. I always thought that I was more related to my father if anybody"

"I understand" He said, picking a red leather book off the desk and opened it to a blank page, beginning to write. "I feel the same way. I always compared myself to my mother and in no way to my father, but according to Lady Wu that isn't all true"

"She sounds like a really wonderful person, your mother" Xuan complemented "I'm sorry that she was taken from you" She concluded rather dejectedly. Noticing that he didn't like the topic, Xuan laid herself down on the bed and attempted to sleep, but that nightmare kept replaying in her mind. In frustration, she sighed loudly by accident.

"Can't sleep?" He asked, glancing from his book and to her.

"Unfortunately, no" She replied, still lying down and staring at the wall. "That nightmare is keeping awake"

"Well, nightmares are nothing more than our fears that yet to be faced, they can't hurt you" He stated, still writing in the book in the dim candle light.

"… Yeah" Xuan muttered even though she disagreed with him. She squeezed the blanket tight in her arms and closed her eyes and attempted to sleep again. If only she could tell him her secret, if only…

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The next morning, Lu Xun's room…

Xuan woke to find herself alone and still in Xun's room. Xuan stood and stretched as she yawned lazily. She looked around the book filled room and found a note addressed to her, pinned down in one corner by the book he was reading earlier. She didn't pay any notice to the book, instead she picked up the note and thoroughly studied it.

_'Lady Xuan, _

_I apologize, but I am needed in a prior engagement, _

_But I do hope that we can talk more later, if you have nothing _

_else to do, I'd be glad to meet you in the courtyard. _

_Sincerely, _

_Lu Xun' _

Xuan smiled tenderly before straightening out her clothes, with disgust over them. _'I wonder where all my belongings are…Perhaps, someone can help me… I'm sure they have forgiven me by now… I hope' _She thought as she walked to the door and peeked out making sure no one was there, she wouldn't want to get Xun in trouble for Xuan being in his room. When she found it was all clear she quickly exited and pretended that she hadn't been in there at all.

The palace was like a maze, but it was a beautiful sight to get lost in. On almost every wall was a gorgeous tapestry of tigers and landscapes that could only exist in one's imagination. If there wasn't a tapestry on the wall there were many Chinese fans hung up or swords for decoration. Xuan peered out of a near window and was struck by the view of many blossoming tree's surrounding a gentle stream with a mountain range in the horizon as the morning sun was just now rising over them. She hadn't seen view like that in so long. She was so caught in the scene , she didn't notice her uncle, Zhou Yu, approaching her from behind. **(Just 4 U, EverKitsune! )**

"glamorous, is it not?" He asked, startling Xuan a little as she turned to him.

"Oh, good morning, Lord Yu!" She chimed, she hadn't seen the man in so long, and still after not seeing him for ten years, he was as handsome as ever. He took a spot next to her and peered out the window. Xuan looked up at him and wondered what he was thinking, it was impossible to guess. "Lord Yu, I want to… apologize one last time for my rudeness"

"Please, stop apologizing. You are forgiven by me, how can I stay angry at my niece? If I ever was angry" He said, with an angelic smile. "I suppose I was the same way when Ce passed… Well, perhaps not so up front about it" He chuckled a little before looking down at her. "Stop punishing yourself over a mishap"

"Thank you! I'm glad that you forgive me" She chirped, gleefully. "I wish my mother would forgive me that easily"

"Though distraught, Lady Da didn't seem to concerned about it. She is still recovering from the death of Ce, like all of us" Yu said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Besides, she was more concerned about your whereabouts last night" He paused to eye her curiously. "Where, in fact were you?"

"… I uh… I was um… I was in the… uh… Courtyard! That's where I was! In the courtyard!" She lied, faking a laugh and trying not to sound too obvious. Even if she had kept a straight face, she couldn't fool him, but he choose go along with it.

"Well, I am glad to see that you are alright" He told her, with a warm smile as he thought to himself. _'How interesting, Xiao and I were in the courtyard after she disappeared, trying to find her. I see that I am not receiving the entire story here…' _Despite his thoughts he pretended to be clueless as she wanted. "You must be hungry, Xuan. I'll escort you to the Great Hall for breakfast"

"Oh, thank you. I'll have to get a map to find my way around here" She joked, faking a laugh. _'Ugh! Shut up! Xuan, you sound like an idiot! I hope he doesn't find out where I **really **was, I'd hate to get poor Xun into any trouble' _Xuan followed Zhou Yu through the winding halls towards the Great Hall. "By the way, Lord Yu, would you by any chance know where I could find my belongings?"

"I apologize, I don't…" He replied, looking back at her. "Perhaps you should ask Lady Da or Lady Wu" He suggested as they neared the Great Hall. Xuan sighed at his suggestion, but shrugged it off as she followed him into the large room.

She was surprised to find that not many people were there. She could see her mother and two aunts sitting at a table, yet to notice her. Also there was a small girl running around with a doll in her arms, laughing.

"Where is everyone?" Xuan asked Zhou Yu who was still standing next to her.

"Many are sparring in the training arena on the backside of the palace or there in the library" He explained. "That is the typical activities that occur around here" He said before the little girl came running up to them.

"Daddy!" She shouted, laughing. Xuan gazed at the young girl as she hugged Zhou Yu, gleeful to see him. She was very pretty, she had Zhou Yu's long silky dark locks that extended to her waist. Her appearance favored Yu, but her perky behavior reminded Xuan of Xiao, of course.

"She's so pretty" Xuan complemented as she bent down towards the girl, who gazed at her with huge, beautiful cocoa orbs in curiosity. "What is your name?" Xuan asked the girl, who smiled brightly with her pearly white baby teeth.

"Zhou Ying" The girl replied shyly as she hung onto Zhou Yu's leg like an ornament.

"Nice to meet you, Zhou Ying" Xuan told her with a tender smile. "I'm Sun Xuan, I'm your cousin, I guess"

"Ying, why don't you go play?" Zhou Yu suggested, noticing Da approaching with an expression he couldn't decipher on her face.

"Aww, but I want to stay with Sun Xuan" Zhou Ying protested with a reluctant look.

"Don't worry, Ying" Xuan assured her also noticing her mother approaching. "I promise that I'll play with you later, okay?" Ying nodded delightfully as she ran off laughing. Xuan turned to her mother, who simply sighed.

"Where have you been?" She asked with an fatigued tone, tired of all the mishaps.

"I suppose, I shall leave you two now" Zhou Yu said as he bowed to each of them respectably before waling off to greet Shang and Xiao.

Da walked towards the door as she bade her daughter to follow. "Come, I… need to talk to you about something…"

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**It's getting late, that's all for this chappie. I hope you liked it! I'm srry Sun Ce had to die, EverKitsune! But the story wouldn't go right if he didn't. I'm sorry! TTTT I promise I'll put as much of Zhou Yu in there 4 U 2 make up for it. I hope you all enjoyed it! I'm srry I haven't updated in a while! I don't update as fast anymore! Waah! And Xun wasn't in this chappie! lol R&R See U later!**


	4. A Secret To Be Unveiled

**Good afternoon, everyone! I don't know if U saw but in chapter 3 Xuan told Zhou Ying that she wuz her aunt, but they're COUSINS! I'm sorry about that. It was late and I wanted 2 hurry and update 4 U. I guess 'aunt' is what I was thinking about at the moment and I just put it down, SORRY! Thanx again Forgetmenot45 4 letting me know! Anyways, here's chapter 4! R&R **

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_**Chapter 4 **_

**_A Secret to Be Unveiled _**

That morning, the sparring arena behind the palace…

"C'mon, Xun!" Gan Ning shouted at Lu Xun as he swung the steel sword at the young general, who blocked it easily. "You're way too easy!" Xun, who hated to be mocked, narrowed his eyes at him before lunging his own steel blade and barely missed slicing the ex-pirate, leaving him with only a minor cut on his arm. Ning doubled back and glancing at the cut before looking back at Xun.

"You should know better by now than to underestimate me" Xun proclaimed rather haughtily, as he sheathed the sparring blade and placed back on the rack along with all the other weapons.

"Yeah, yeah, You told me, but it's funny to see that offended look appear on your face when I do that" He chuckled sheathing his own sword and placing back on the weapon rack next to Xun's before nursing the cut with a rag.

"Is that your only joy in life?" Lu Xun asked "irritating me?"

"No, drinking too" They both shared a laugh when Lu Meng and Sun Shang Xiang came up from behind them.

"Good morning" Meng and Shang Xiang stated.

"Good morning" The two replied in boredom as Meng grabbed a bow off the weapon rack and a quiver of arrows and began to shoot the target that was at a rather far distance. Shang Xiang had brought her Chakrams and was now on the sparring platform, practicing. She was recently in the Great Hall with Xiao and Da Qiao when Sun Xuan and Zhou Yu came in and she decided to leave when Da took Xuan to tell her the news that everyone already knew. She met Meng in one of the corridors while he was on his way to the sparring arena and she decided to follow him.

"So" Ning began, pausing to think up the correct words. "Did anyone figure out where that snobby girl went last night after she yelled at Lady Wu?" He asked, since he was drunk he was unable to remember anything that happened after Sun Xuan pushed the empress and stalked out. Shang glanced at him for a moment, but ignored it and continued to practice.

"Yes, she came back and apologized to everyone" Xun replied in slight annoyance. "Next time at least try to remain sober and perhaps you won't fail to notice"

"Hmph, would it have mattered?" Ning scoffed as he leaned his back against the wall of the large palace, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes in boredom. "She obviously has an attitude problem. Women, you know how they are" Ning commented before Shang Xiang gave him an offended glare and got off the sparring platform and approached him with a disdainful expression.

"No, Ning, I don't know how we are, mind telling me?" She asked with a sarcastic tone. "And be careful"

"Well you—"

BAM! Ning had won a date with her fist, right in the left eye and when he fell to the ground she proceeded to pound him into the ground with her foot until she was satisfied.

"I warned you" Shang Xiang said before stalking off. Meng had been watching from the start and was trying to contain a humored laugh. Xun was pleased by the punishment he received, because, frankly, he deserved it. Noticing it was nearly noon, Xun took his leave.

Ning was a crumbled heap on the ground, covered in scratches and bruises to match the one he received earlier. After a few moments of lying there he final was able to stand revealing a black eye and pummeled face. "What'd I say?"

"Too much" Meng replied and went back to his archery.

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Noon, The library…

The library took up a good portion of the second floor and half the books hadn't been touched for years, considering that there were thousands, no one had the time of day to count them all. Not many people were actually interested in books except the strategists.

Zhou Yu, as he did in a daily habit, was at one of the maple tables in the center on the library with a war book in his hands. Xiao Qiao was also there by force. Xiao despised to read books, she would rather go pick flowers or play. But Yu insisted that she read a book once in awhile so she sat across the table from her husband with a book in her hands, which she glared at with boredom, wishing that someone would give her a reason to stop reading.

"Uhhn…" Xiao groaned in boredom, but Yu seemed to be too concentrated in his book to take notice. "Do I have to keep reading, Yuie?" He looked up at her finally to answer.

"Why? You have yet to get half way through" He said noting that she failed to get very far in the rather little book she was reading.

"Well… I'm in such an interesting part that I want to leave myself wondering" She said, proud of her excuse, as she stood, but it was an incredibly rare phenomenon to actually fool him. With a sigh she sat back down and continued to glare at the book. _'Darn! I was sure it'd work!' _Just then, Lu Xun sauntered into the library.

"Hi Xunie!" Xiao chirped, noticing him immediately and waving wildly. Zhou Yu, interrupted by her sudden outburst, glanced up at him.

"Good morning Lady Xiao, Lord Yu" Xun said sitting down next to his fellow strategist. Xiao, finding this to be the perfect moment, dropped the book and dashed out of the room giggling loudly as she did.

"HA! HA! HA! YAY! FREEEEE!" She shouted. Yu sighed at his wife's silliness, but shrugged it off and turned to the young general.

"Good morning, Xun" Yu replied, placing the book on the table. "Xun… might I ask you a question regarding my niece, Xuan?"

"Certainly…" He replied in confusion.

"I met with Xuan this morning and she appeared to be very enthusiastic as if she were… hiding something" Yu told him with an inquisitive expression.

"Hiding something?" Xun asked, cocking an eyebrow. "… Like a secret?"

"Precisely, she seemed as if something was preoccupying her thoughts and I don't think Sun Ce's death is the only reason she ran off last night" Yu stated "My question is, what happened to her?"

"I understand what you're telling me, Lord Yu, I suspected that too, but…" Xun trailed off in uncertainty "How would I know what happened to her?"

"I assumed that she told you yesterday, when you returned to the Great Hall with her in your presence" Yu told him bluntly as he glanced down at his book. "Perhaps not"

"She never told me anything like a secret, but I'm convinced something or someone has—" Xun's statement was interrupted by the sound of someone dashing past the door in a fit of rage and cries.

"Xuan! Please! Don't do it!" Someone shouted, running past the door also. Yu and Xun exchanged glances before they both made for the door.

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**Srry, guys! CLIFFIE! Finally, I got this chappie in! It's shorter than the other tho… I hope you enjoyed it anyways! R&R! Bye!**


	5. The Girl of the Southern Kingdom

**I only got three (Good) reviews on that chappie, how depressing, but they were great reviews! Thanx again to Umi Frostfurr, whose review was really inspirational, and of course, Thanx to Forgetmenot45, she's a great friend, can't 4 more on your story! Justinian14, I hope you enjoy it! lol Uhhhnn… Today was the first day of school! It was okay, but all my friends are in different classes! –Cries- Ok Ok back 2 the story… Here's chapter 5! Hope U like! R&R! **

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_**Chapter 5 **_

_**The Girl of the Southern Kingdom**_

Noon, in the hall way outside the library…

"What's going on?" Lu Xun asked out loud as they stood in the middle of the hall after hearing a commotion while he and Zhou Yu sat in the library. Zhou Yu was reluctant to know the answer as he peered down at various puddles of scarlet red blood scattered randomly on the wooden floor.

"It's Xuan" Yu stated, tracing quickly down the hall after his niece, who had passed earlier in rage. Fearfully, Xun followed Yu towards the second floor balcony to find Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao cringing in fear at the sight of Sun Xuan standing on the wide banister on the side of the balcony peering over the edge with a sword in her hands that she had found hung on one of the walls.

"Xuan, what are you doing!" Yu demand tone that he rarely used.

Startled, Xuan looked back at the two men, but more specifically her eyes her eyes were set on the golden haired general and large pools of cocoa for eyes that were deeply troubled by her actions. Her neck and arm ached as the blood trickled quickly down onto her satin dress and she could already feel dizzy for the loss.

Yu attempted to approach her, but she held the blade to her throat threatening to commit suicide by slicing her throat open before she fell off the side of the building. Da shielded her eyes in fear as Xiao wrapped her arms around her sister. Yu glanced back at Xun, who gazing at the woman nervously before stepping forward. _'Lady Xuan, why are you doing this?'_

Xuan glanced down at the ground where several soldiers stood looking up at her in confusion.

"Lady Xuan" her head shot back quickly to find Xun standing a mere two or three steps away. Xuan faltered a moment, but wouldn't let him know that his gaze alone could make her give in. "Why are you doing this?"

"…" Xuan was uncertain herself. "B-because, I… I'm scared" She finally admitted shamefully, but she steadily held the blade to her throat and the blood from her wounds stained her dress.

"But why are you scared?"

"I… I can't tell you" She told him bluntly and he eyed her in confusion before she whispered so only Xun and herself could hear. "It's a secret and… If I tell you…" Xuan paused to keep her swaying, which would cause her to fall by accident.

"… Lady Xuan, please, get down" Xun seemed to beg, ignoring her statement for the moment. Xuan hesitated, but the loss of blood was making her so lightheaded that she finally collapsed and fell into his open arms as the steel blade clattered to the floor.

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_'…Where's everyone?' Xuan asked herself as she sat in a darkness, unable to see anything. There was a dank smell in the air that made her nose twitch in revulsion. 'What's going on?' She asked aloud. _

_'Are you scared?' A malevolent voice asked as if right in front of her, but to dark to be seen. She heard this voice somewhere. 'Don't worry, I won't hurt you' The voice stated before adding with a wicked chuckle 'Yet' The words spilled from his mouth like poison, for it was him that was forcing this secret on her for what he did. _

_'Go away!' She ordered in fear, but assertively. 'Leave me be! I'm tired of hearing your wicked voice! I want to forget what you did, but you won't let me!' _

_'Remember, not to tell' He said, still in the darkness somewhere. '…Or those you tell will pay dearly' He threatened as if he hadn't heard one word she uttered. Xuan tried to get up and run, but she couldn't. It was as if some force was keeping her still. It wasn't but a few moments did she hear loud chuckles of triumph and the feeling of hands on her body. The last thing she heard was her own self screaming… _

"Xuan?... Xuan!" Xuan's eyes fluttered open, only to find her mother's angelic, but scornful face hovering over her. In confusion, Xuan sat up and looked around the room.

"W-where am I?" Xuan asked, still shaken by the nightmare. She looked at Da Qiao, who still plastered an aggravated expression on her normally kind face.

"In the infirmary" Da told her, examining the dressed wound on Xuan's arm, that was starting to reveal ruby red blood through the layers of bandages. She quickly began to add another dressing to the already bandaged wound. She sighed in exasperation. "Goodness, Xuan, do you get pleasure out of worrying me so?" She asked as if out of sarcasm.

"What kind of question is that?" Xuan asked nonchalantly, uninterested in the conversation.

"Running off for no reason, threatening to slew your own throat" Da told giving her two examples, while she finished up on the dressing. "Thankfully, lord Xun got you off that banister"

Xuan slowly regained the thoughts back into her mind. The young general did seem very disgruntled about what happened the thought of his concern made her blush sheepishly. Suddenly, she realized that she was going to meet him in the court yard that day and it was already late afternoon. "By the way… Where is lord Xun?"

"I'm not sure, he and Lord Yu helped bring you here and he left immediately, quite bizarre actually" Da Qiao stated, shrugging. "But nevertheless, his majesty Cao Pi and his son will be here in about a week, so you have much preparation to be done" Xuan eyed her with disapproval.

"I won't do it" Xuan pronounced firmly, crossing her arms. "I won't marry him"

"It is not your decision to be made, nor mine" Da concluded, disinclined to argue with her yet again. "Lord Cao Jin's request, he requested it a mere two months ago"

"How? He doesn't even know of my existence" Da asked with a knitted brow. Da shrugged at her, while she examined the bandaged injury on Xuan's chest.

"I'm not sure, he seemed to be familiar with your name and a very detailed description of you, bizarre, but I can't deny the Wei prince" Da sighed, sitting on her knees and clasping her hands together.

"But, what of Lord Sun Quan? Can't he do anything?"

"Actually… He was quite fond of the idea…" Da stated. Xuan always believed that her uncle would protect her, but when she actually thought about it, she recalled when Sun Shang Xiang was forced to wed Lord Liu Bei with permission of her own brother, who threatened to have her and Liu Bei slain when Liu Bei refused to return them the Jing territory. Xiao Qiao explained it all in a letter. If it weren't for Lady Wu, Shang Xiang may have been dead now.

"His majesty Sun Quan, told me that it would be an ideal plan to make ties with Wei" Da said, knocking Xuan out of her thoughts.

"And Lady Wu?"

"She… She told me that it was my decision and I agreed with our emperor"

"But—" Xuan was interrupted by Da's hand that was held up, stating that enough was being said on the topic. With that, Da stood and left the room. There, Xuan was left to contemplate to herself. _'I don't want to marry this man, I don't even know him… But somehow he knows me… I always thought I'd marry for love, not for the sake of this kingdom, I must do something...Ever since that night…Oh, father, I wish you were here to help me…' _Low on hope, Xuan laid her head and attempted to sleep once more, I hope the nightmares, would stop…

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Xu Chang, the Wei capital, that evening…

The prince of Wei, an arrogant eighteen year-old youth, stood with a smirk spread across his face as he peered out over the balcony on the south side of the palace, the direction where an alluring prize awaited him. He had only seen here once… Well, "seen" is only an understatement. He's done a lot more than that. He'd left her with a terrible emotional scar and he had yet to feel the slightest guilt. **(I'm pretty sure there was no Cao Jin in the Han dynasty and if there was, I don't think he was Cao Pi's son, but I had to make him up to make the story work correctly, you'll see) **

The first was only an accidental meeting, but next time she would belong to Wei and him. Currently his father, Cao Pi was the emperor of Wei along with his mother Zhen Ji. Cao Jin wanted more than anything to rule over Wei and he already had his plan set.

For the time being, the young girl of the southern kingdom of Wu was what he wanted.

"Cao Jin" someone uttered from behind, Jin turned to see his mother approaching him. Despite her rising age, she was gorgeous beyond belief. When Jin was young, his friends would accidentally mistake her for his sister. His grandfather Cao Cao, before he died, used to tell Jin of Ji, whose beauty was so powerful that it could cause the fall of a kingdom. Still harboring that beauty, Zhen Ji took a place next to her son.

"What are your thoughts?" She asked, tapping her fingers against her golden flute that she always carried.

"Conquest" The young man stated simply and firmly. Zhen Ji let out a little laugh of humor over his reply.

"Just like Cao Pi. He can't have enough land. The similarity is frightening"

"Where is father?" Jin asked, gazing out over the many trees.

"I don't know" Ji sighed with frustration now. "He seems to be experiencing a disgusting preference for his _other_ wife, the little rat she is" Ji proclaimed in disdain. The thought of her husband in the arms of another made her mind burn in unforgivable jealousy, she would eventually bring the issue up with Cao Pi. But more than anything, she scorned at the possibility that her position as empress may be taken from her grasp.

Cao Jin was tired of seeing his poor mother stomping around the palace in fury of whatever Cao Pi did, but she couldn't do anything about it, he was determined to make her happy, but of course, make his own self happy in the process.

"Don't worry, he shall lose his ambition and power soon enough for his actions" Jin stated with a smirk, proud of his cunningness. Ji eyed him in suspicion, but her own anger made his evil words sound like the sweetest music.

"Don't linger, we're are departing soon enough" Ji said as she walked off still stirred by contempt. Cao Jin watched her leave, he had a greater preference towards her than his father. Cao Pi seemed so uncaring of what came of his empress or son and for that Jin had his plans to remove Cao Pi from his spot as emperor and make life easier for himself and his mother. In fact, most of the Wei peasants couldn't wait for the young prince to take the throne, and he planned to do just that, but first he needed an empress to rule beside him. And _she_ was the perfect one for him…

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**Finally I did a new one! WOOT! lol I'm tired of typing! I'll see ya l8ter:P **


	6. I Promise

**Gosh, you guys were sure mad at that Cao Jin guy, I guess that raised the suspense. Thanx again to EverKitsune and Forgetmenot45 for making me feel better about the flamers! You guys are awesome! You all are! I really didn't like those stories anyways. -- Here's chapter 6! **

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**Chapter 6**

**I Promise**

Midnight, Peach Garden…

Shang Xiang sighed to herself in boredom. She was increasingly unhappy ever since she had left her husband who was somewhere in the West. She decided to climb a Peach tree and climbed to the very top. She spotted a peach above her head. Her mother, Lady Wu, always told her that the best things are found in high places. Shang Xiang stood cautiously on the thick branch. A lot of people told her that she didn't act feminine enough, which was true. She was the only women she knew who would climb a tree and to the top, at that.

"C'mere little peach" Shang spoke to the fruit aloud. She reached for it and successfully caught in her grasp. She smiled in triumph, but suddenly her foot slipped from the branch and she slipped backwards and she attempted to grab a branch above with her free hand but regrettably she couldn't find one near or strong enough. She let out a shriek of fear as she fell to the ground below as tiny branches scraped her face and body.

"Ahh!—" Shang landed surprisingly softly on the ground… No wait, on _somebody_.

"Huh?" Shang murmured looking at who she toppled onto, she laughed when she found it was the lowly pirate Gan Ning. He was crumbled mess beneath her. Shang stood and continued to laugh at him. But her laugh was silenced when the pang of her many cuts finally began to ache. She looked down at her tattered outfit in displeasure. She turned back to the crumbled pirate, who was now starting to budge from his moments of unconsciousness.

"Ugghh…" He moaned as he sat up and rubbed his head. "What the hell was that?" He grunted, looking up at her.

"On, c'mon, I wasn't that heavy!" She insisted, hands on hips. He mumbled something under his breath before standing.

"What were you doin' up there anyways?" He asked with partial interest to the answer.

"Getting a peach" She replied, looking on the ground for the fruit and picking it up when she found it.

"You women sure are strange" Ning scoffed, mentioning something he had gotten punished for earlier that day. Shang Xiang scowled at him with crossed arms.

"Do you need another ass whooping?" She asked sternly as she pointed an accusing finger in his face. "By the way, what're you doing out here anyways? Wouldn't you normally be unconscious from all that wine?"

"Well, I'm trying to cut down, if you'd like to know" He declared proudly. Shang Xiang couldn't help but to laugh in his face. Ning shrugged at the implausible chance on convincing her with that excuse.

"So seriously, why are you out here?" She managed to ask after laughing as she sauntered over to the peach tree she had fallen from, she sat down and leaned against the large trunk.

"No reason. I couldn't sleep so I decided to come down here" Ning explained, inevitably leaving out the part that he'd seen Shang Xiang in the peach garden from his window. If the explanation he gave her were true he wouldn't be there, he would probably be in the wine cellar. Without noticing he was, he watched her try to brake into the red peach with her fingers as determination danced across her face until she felt his eyes locked on her.

"What are you looking at?" She asked with a knitted brow.

"Huh?" Ning murmured before shaking his head vigorously, returning his mind back to reality. He glanced a final time at her lovely round face before looking away stubbornly. "Nothing, just forget it" He snapped in an obstinate tone as he stalked off pretending to have an offended ego.

Shang Xiang watched him disappear back into the corridor and giggled before returning to her sweet peach.

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Noon the next day, the palace infirmary…

Sun Xuan sighed for the fifth time in a mixture of boredom and anxiety. She had barely left that infirmary bed ever since the incident. Da Qiao insisted that she stay there and finish healing, but she wasn't going to wait around forever. She was already feeling bad for not meeting Lu Xun in the peach garden like he had requested in his note. She had a lot to think about within the past day; Marriage, Xun, her father, Xun, her injuries, oh, and Xun. She just wanted someone to talk to, she wanted…

-Knock Knock- Came a soft tap on the door.

Xuan was abruptly knocked out of her thoughts. She sat up and clasped her hands on her lap. "Come in…" The creaked open slightly and the innocent face of Zhou Ying.

"Hello, Zhou Ying, what are you up to today?" Xuan asked tenderly with a smile.

"Nothing… um… Are you still hurt?" Ying asked rather reluctant to getting to close to an injured person, fearing she may hurt them, but she sat next to Xuan on her hands and knees and gazing at her in curiosity.

"Well, yes, but I feel a lot better now" Xuan assured her, lifting her injured arm in the air to show the girl that it was no longer bleeding. "Why, is there something you needed?"

"Well… Aunt Da told me not to bother you, but I wanted to ask, if you were feeling well enough, if you would… play with me?" Ying said as if she were about to be scolded. "You said yesterday that you would—" Ying was interrupted by a small laugh from Xuan.

"Don't worry, Ying, I'll play with you" Xuan said before struggling to her feet and almost toppling over after lying down for so long. She nursed her injuries as a precaution and dressed quickly. She also tied her silky copper hair in her favorite red lace ribbon before turning to Ying once more.

"Now what is it you would like to do?" Ying paused to think of an activity they could do. She was so excited that she finally had someone to play with and there were so many things they could do.

"Let's pick flowers in the meadow!" Ying exclaimed, grasping Xuan's hand and pulling her from the room and into the corridor. They were currently on the third story, so it would take them some time to get to the garden on East side of the palace. And at the same time she must avoid an encounter with her mother, who could pop out of anywhere.

"Goodness, I wonder what the meadow looks like after ten long years" Xuan wondered out loud as the two climbed down the stairs. Ying turned for a moment to face her in curiosity.

"Cousin Xuan, Where were you for so long?" The girl asked, looking up at her.

"Faraway, at school" Xuan told Ying, who was already skipping down the stairs, energetically. She really did relate Xiao Qiao, but on the other hand, her decisive thinking reminded her of her father, Zhou Yu.

"Did you like it there?"

Xuan hesitated to contemplate a proper reply. "Well, I had reasons I did like it and my reasons for disliking it, I suppose. But now that I'm here, I don't think I would want to go back" Xuan concluded even though her reason for coming made her more uncomfortable. At first she didn't like the sound of coming back to Wu, she felt she didn't fit in, but now her outlook on the situation seemed to be changing.

"Well, I'm relieved to hear that" I refined voice came from down the hall. It was Lady Wu, dressed in a beautiful and elaborate gown that Xuan paused to admire. She was approaching with a pleasant smile that made Xuan sigh in relief. She nearly jumped out of her skin in fear that it might have been her mother.

"Oh, Lady Wu, I'm glad to see you again" Xuan said, bowing. Ying ran up and gave the woman a tight hug, which shocked Xuan slightly that the girl was permitted to hug the empress, but she shrugged it off.

"So, where are you two off to?" Lady Wu asked, clasping her hands in front of her.

"We're going to pick flowers!" Ying shouted, happily. Lady Wu eyed Xuan with curiosity as Xuan gave a phony laugh while she searched for an excuse for why she wasn't in the infirmary, but felled to find one.

"Uhh… You won't tell my mother will you, Lady Wu?" Xuan asked in a begging voice.

"Don't worry about it" Lady Wu laughed lightly.

"Thank you, Lady Wu" Xuan bowed again before grasping Ying's hand and heading towards the meadow.

Lady Wu watched the young woman saunter off with the little girl, giggling. She smiled at Xuan's beauty and honesty before sighing at the person she was soon going to be matched with, Her fiancé, Cao Jin. Lady Wu had heard of him and she wasn't pleased with what she's heard. He was said to be arrogant and conceited, much like his father. **(No offense to you Cao Pi lovers –lol-) **She couldn't say the same for the empress Zhen Ji, Lady Wu assumed the royal life was becoming too much of need to her.

Lady Wu sighed again in frustration, because she was unable to do anything about it…

Eventually, the two came to the meadow that stunned Xuan with disbelief. _'Wow, I've never seen something so beautiful…' _Ying tugged on her dressed to bring her back from her thoughts before skipping down the cemented path. The path extended to the center of the meadow before dividing into a 'T' shape.

"What kind of flowers should we pick?" Ying inquired, skipping back to Xuan, who was smelling the lovely fragrance of jasmine blossom.

"Hmm… There are so many different colors. Why don't we pick a whole bunch of different colors?"

"Okay!" Ying exclaimed excitedly before dashing off.

Xuan brushed her fingers against the soft texture a sunflower and sighing at the innocent beauty of the earth. "How unfortunate that such beauty must flourish in a world full of turmoil. At least we can have a little bit of beauty"

A few moments later Ying came skipping back with a hand full of colorful flowers in her hands. "How are these?"

"wonderful, let me see… We must find something to tie them with…" She thought for a moment before her face lit up with an ideal solution. She reached for her hair and pulled the lace ribbon out of the bow. She held it up so Ying could see. "This is my favorite red ribbon, my father gave it to me when I was little and I take it everywhere with me" She took the flowers from Ying and tied them tightly in the ribbon. "I'm giving it to you. It's my present to you, if we ever couldn't see each other this will remind you of me. Do you promise to protect?"

Xuan returned the flowers to Ying, who gazed at the ribbon and then at Xuan in an incredulous way. "Oh… Yes, I promise. Thank you" She giggled before giving Xuan a tight hug. In the midst of their embrace Ying noticed someone behind Xuan.

"Oh, Hi lord Lu Xun!" She exclaimed with glee. Xuan felt her cheeks flushed at the thought of his presence let alone the sound of his name. _'W-why am I blushing like this?' _She turned and found Xun taking his final steps towards them before with a casual smile. He gave Xuan a short glance before looking down at Ying.

"Ying, your mother is looking for you" He said simply and convincingly.

"Okay" She said rather glumly before turning to Xuan, where her angelic smile returned. "Bye, Xuan! Thanks for playing with me!" She shouted, skipping off. "And thanks for the present!" She said gratefully, pointing at the ribbon and skipping off.

Xuan watched her disappear, making sure she was gone before turning to Xun, who was now standing before one of the many rose bushes.

"Congratulations, you managed to fool a little girl, but I know aunt Xiao isn't looking for Ying" Xuan stated, crossing her arms.

"Why is that?" Xun asked, still focusing on the rose bush.

"Because, aunt Xiao always spends her afternoons in the peach garden… chasing butterflies" Xuan said with a sense of superiority, trying not to laugh at Xiao's silliness. "I've been gone for ten years and I _still_ remember that"

Xun looked back at her paused a moment to chuckle heartily. "Really, I didn't know that. I suppose she does that when she becomes bored enough" A moment later he was in front of her holding up a full bloomed, crimson red rose. Xuan was stunned by its beauty she took it from him and held it close. _'Why would he…'_

"Oh… Thank you, it's lovely…Xuan said before changing the subject "um… W-why send Ying away?" She stuttered by accident still half thinking of the rose.

"Well, I need to ask you a question" Xun stated rather quietly.

"Well…" Xuan hesitated, wondering what he would want to know. "Very well then, ask"

"I need to know your secret"

The rose fell from Xuan's fingers. Her eyes were locked on his. "P-pardon me?"

"I need to know what it is that you're hiding"

"That… That is none of you concern?" She concluded rebelliously. She turned away from him angrily.

"Does it matter?" Xun asked, crossing his arms. "If your 'secret' is capable of forcing you to submit to suicide then, yes, it is my concern" Xuan turned back to him and glared into his eyes.

"…" Xuan shuck her head. "I can't tell you, I've already told you that" She concluded pre paring to run away, but Xun anticipated it and quickly intercepted her path and grabbed her arm.

"So, you're going to run away now?" He asked critically, with a disdainful expression that Xuan hadn't seen him use before. "Is that what you're going to do all your life? Run away?"

"…" Xuan didn't know what to say. She ripped her arm from his grasp and turned away. "Why do you care?" She murmured, trying to keep her voice from cracking.

Xun released her arm and his angry expression softened as he sighed. "Don't you trust me yet?"

Xuan noticed the rose on the ground before sitting on the warm cement and picking up the rose and observing it. "If… If I tell you… do you promise not to tell anyone?"

Xun sat down next to her. "Well, I can't promise that, if I don't know what the problem is" Xuan exchanged an uncertain glance with him, but gave up on denying it any longer.

"Well… It was about a month ago and I had just gotten out of an etiquette class. That class always annoyed me and I didn't want to go back talk to the snobby girls I lived with so I decided to take a walk in the woods…" Xuan paused to focus on the wildflowers that blew in the breeze. "It was past sunset and I hadn't paid any attention on how far I went or even where I was going… Eventually the only light I had was the moon. I was walking through the shrubbery when I heard the sounds of foot steps behind me"

Xuan paused to glance at Xun, who was absorbing the words. "Naturally, I looked behind me but found nothing but the shadowy trees. I paid no more heed to it and began to walk in a random direction as the a bizarre breezy blew against me and still yet I heard those foot steps so I began walking faster, until I found myself running and suddenly I was on the ground, it turned out that I had tripped over a log and sprained my ankle and I looked around and this time even though I wasn't moving I could clearly here someone approaching me" She paused again to wipe away fresh tears from her eyes.

Xun placed a compassionate hand on her shoulder.

"Well, it was some man and he decided to drag me to some condemned shed and…" She looked away, humiliated. "I suppose the rest speaks for itself. Must I go on?"

"No" He told her, standing. "Don't worry, lady Xuan, I promise you that this insolent person will pay… personally" He concluded stalking off, his heart absolute burning with contempt and it burned… badly.

Xuan watched him stalk off in confusion. She looked down at the beautiful rose he had given her and smiled tenderly, holding it close to her heart. _'… What is this feeling? I… like it" _

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**Wow, almost three thousand words! I guess it's worth it cuz it's been forever since I updated. Yay! I got some SSXxGN in there 4 you guys! Well, obviously, I'm tired! –lol- I hope you enjoyed it! R&R**


	7. Your Thoughts, Your Fears

**Hiya again! Hmm… I've got nothing to say, except… ENJOY: P Here's chappie number seven! READ AND REVIEW!** **–lol-**

**Disclaimer: I forgot to do this… I don't own DW –cries- , except this storyline and the OC's --… **

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**Chapter 7**

**Your Thoughts, Your Fears**

Dawn, the next day. The Wei palace, first floor conference room…

"We shall leave for the Wu capital dusk, complete preparations immediately" Cao Jin commanded before the officers left the rather small room. Jin gave the maps of the Wu territory a final glance before turning to the door. As he stepped out a young servant approached him and bowed as she spoke.

"Lord Cao Pi requests you presence in the throne room" She explained still bowing as the arrogant prince walked passed her and headed towards the throne room, which was the largest, most elaborate room in the palace. Jin sighed in frustration on having to see the egotistic emperor, although they both shared that same trait.

Jin finally made it to the throne room, where Cao Pi sat in boredom. Jin also noticed Lady Gao, standing behind him. She didn't ordinarily talk to Jin, but when she did she treated him as if he were an insect. The insolent woman also was causing feuds between his mother, Zhen Ji and Cao Pi.

"What could you possibly want?" Jin demanded with coarseness and impatience.

"Now is that anyways to speak to the emperor?" Gao asked, butting into the conversation. A humored laugh crossed the emperor's lips.

"Mind you tongue and your place, wretch" Jin hissed, narrowing his scornful eyes on her. She glared at him before Cao Pi waved his hand in the air, instructing her to leave. She gave the young prince a condescending glare before stalking off.

Cao Pi stood and folded his arms. "Do you plan on getting what you want in Wu by speaking in such a manner?"

"Hmph" Jin sneered. "You're one to talk. Why would you care how I treat those in Wu?"

"That's true, is suppose" Pi laughed lively, but malevolently. "Wu is full of nothing but a cluster of fools, they aren't worthy of politeness" To Cao Pi, everyone was his inferior.

Cao Jin scoffed, finding the pointless topic was a waste of his time. He turned away prepared to leave.

"Why go to Wu?" Pi asked, noticing Jin's desire to leave. "I understand there is one you wish to acquire, but I don't understand why you would choose someone of Wu. It is simpler to find someone better" Jin was aware that the arrogant emperor was testing his son's annoyance, but he wouldn't give him the satisfaction that he was on the brink of breaking.

"Perhaps" Jin began as he advanced to the exit. "That is why mother is beginning to question your affection" He hissed as he left the large room and headed for the sparring arena that was on the South-Eastern side of the tremendous palace. By that time, a few days later, he would be in Wu and in the wake of what he has waited for. _'Just a matter of time…' _

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Meanwhile, the Wu palace, the Great Hall…

All the Wu residents of the palace gathered for a meeting called on by Sun Quan in the Great Hall. It was in regards to the arrival of the Wei prince, who would be coming within in a few days.

Lu Xun took a spot at a long table next to Sun Xuan, who was resting her head on her arms.

"Good morning" He seemed to chirp. Xuan sat up and looked at him and mentally scolded herself for blushing again.

"Good morning" She replied, but without the same enthusiasm as he did.

Listen, there is something I want to ask—" He began before being interrupted by Gan Ning, who came running up to him in a frenzy.

"Xun!" He cried, looking around frantically before looking down at the young general. "Have you seen Shang Xiang come by here!"

"No, why?" Xun asked with a knitted brow. "What did you do to her this time?"

Ning opened his mouth to speak when the door flew open and there stood the princess… covered in honey and chicken feathers. The white feathers danced towards the ground as she slowly approached. What was supposed to be her face was giving the most threatening glare that made many of the generals cringe behind one another. Ning stood back while Xun and Xuan stared at the furious chicken looking princess in disbelief.

"Oh my…" Xuan said, covering her mouth in astonishment, but trying to contain a laugh at the same time.

"What a waste of honey" Xun teased, looking up at Ning, who began backing away.

"Ning, you conniving little rat, I am going to make seriously regret making me look like a human chicken!" She shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the pirate, who acted ever so innocent.

"But, Shang Xiang, that look suites you so well" He said sarcastically before bursting into laughter.

"Yeah, so does my fist in your face!" Shang Xiang yelled out in anger before dashing for the pirate, who began screaming like a girl and dashed for the door with the fuming princess following right after him.

Once they were gone, Xuan laughed out at the entertainment. Finally there was something to make her a little happier, other than Xun, of course. "Does, he always do things like that to her?"

"Yes, but I think he'll pay worse than usual" Xun said, making Xuan laugh again.

"Anyways, what was it you wanted to ask?"

"Well, I—" Unfortunately, he was interrupted for a second time by the sound of Sun Quan's voice as he stood before them.

"Everyone" He said loudly, capturing everyone's attention. Xuan turned towards her uncle who was dressed in an elaborate robe as usual and behind him stood Lady Wu, she uneasy expression captivated her features.

"As you all know" Quan began "The Wei emperor's son will be arriving at our gates within a few days and it is crucial that we show him our utmost respect. The arrangement made between the Sun family of Wu and the Cao family of Wei will only strengthen and bring peace between us…" As Quan went on talking, his voice became distant to Xuan as she got lost in her own thoughts.

_'Is that all it will ever be? An arrangement?' _Xuan's looked upon the many faces of the Wu generals. She could tell that each showed nothing but disdain for the people of Wei and Shu. They wouldn't hesitate to cause bloodshed for Wu, and she began to wonder if there would ever be any real peace between the two very different kingdoms. _'…Probably not…'_

"…Furthermore, let us make his visit at least a tolerable one" Quan said as several general chuckled. Sun Quan then took his leave with his mother following sending Xuan a glance and a warm smile, noticing the girls fear.

"Lady Xuan" Someone one stated, tapping her gently on the shoulder. Her head shot towards who she thought was Xun ready to scold him for still using 'Lady' in front of her name, but it turned out to be a general she didn't know. He had a rather handsome face and a long brown ponytail and in his hand he held a set of num-chucks. **(I think I spelt that wrong, of well –lol-)**

"Oh… Hello" Xuan muttered in confusion. "Do I know you?"

"Probably not" He laughed lightly "I'm Ling Tong" He stated, smiling.

"Oh, hello, Ling Tong" Xuan greeted as she stood and bowed loyally before looking around vigorously. "Where did Lu Xun go?"

"He went to the Peach Garden" Ling Tong told her, pointing in the general direction of the garden. "He wants you to meet him there"

"Oh" Xuan murmured moving towards the door before turning towards Tong again and telling him 'Thank you'. She was quickly stepping lively down the stairs to the first floor as she thought to herself. _'Wow, he must have been fast to get down here so quickly…'_ She moved through the hallway before she heard someone call her. She cursed under her breath at the interruption. She turned and found Da Qiao approaching curiously.

"Xuan…" She muttered, eyeing her with suspicion. "Where are you going in such a hurry?"

"Uhh…" Xuan murmured, getting a strange notion that letting Da aware of her where she was going might be a bad idea. "Er… I'm going… I'm going to the… stables! That's where I'm going!"

Da gave her an unconvinced expression, but pretended to be clueless. "Very well" She concluded before turning and walking off. Xuan watched her for a moment before shrugging and quickly headed for the Peach Garden. When her daughter turned the corner Da turned back and contemplated the lie Xuan just told. She quickly pursued with curiosity and suspicion.

"… Where are you really going, Xuan?"

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Late morning, the Peach Garden…

Lu Xun propped his back against the tree that overlooked the small lake that was illuminated by the morning light. That spot was where he first met Sun Xuan. He looked about the field and admired the flourishing peach trees and flowing green grass, but the sight of Xuan sauntering towards him that made it seem like a scene out of a dream.

"Hi Lord Xun!" She exclaimed now standing before him.

"You know, Lady Xuan" He began, pushing away from the tree. "You don't need to call me 'Lord', you never did"

"Fine" Xuan agreed, placing her hands on her hips. "Then you have to stop calling me 'Lady' Xuan. I wanted to hit you every time you called me that" She teased, laughing lightly. "Anyways, what did we come all the way out here for?"

"Well, I want to talk to you privately" He told her rather quietly as he paced a few times. Xuan's heart raced suddenly. "In everything that is happening, you seem to have very little, if any, say in this entire situation" He paused in front of her and held her eyes in his. "What do _you_ want?"

"…" For a moment everything stopped. The blossoms that fell from the trees seemed to simply freeze in the air. Time itself seemed to stop and listen to her reply. "… I don't want to be afraid anymore…"

Embarrassed, Xuan drooped her head and before she even knew what happened Xun pulled her close, pressing his lips against hers. She was utterly surprised at first, but she eventually gave in to his kiss, unaware of the eyes of the wrong person watching.

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**Finally, they kiss! Might be kinda early, but oh well, I'm not good with kissing scenes… Srry, if I'm making Da Qiao seem kinda mean… But she seems like sort of a stiff, like everything has to be done with good manners and what not so yea, -lol- Srry 'bout that! R&R **


	8. Misfortune Part I

**Srry! I've been really sick lately, don't blame me, it's all because of whatever I'm allergic to! –lol- I will try and make up for it!** **-lol- Anyways here's chapter 8! Read and Review! ; ) **

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_**Chapter 8 **_

_**Misfortune **__**Part I**_

Morning, two days after meeting in the Peach Garden, the Wu palace, Sun Xuan's chambers…

_'Have you ever had something happen to you that you never thought would have happened in your wildest dreams? Even if it was incredibly obvious that it would have happened? At first, I thought we were just friends, but now it's gradually becoming clearer that it may be more than that…' _

Sun Xuan peered into the mirror at her self. The gleaming morning light beamed in through the window onto the hard maple floor. Two Nightingale's chirped gleefully on the windowsill, letting their music ring through the room announcing the new day.

Xuan picked up a hair clip that was lying on the table in front of her. It was in the shape of a butterfly with gold wings with little designs on them with silver. The butterfly's body was also made of gold and a large diamond was placed on the center of its back with tiny sapphire gems lined down the abdomen. The large jewel caught the sun light making it all the more beautiful. How bothersome that such a lovely came from such an unsolicited person.

Xuan sighed helplessly as she placed the hair piece back on the table and stood. A few days had come down to just a few hours to when the Wei prince would arrive. He'll be here soon… _'I wonder where Xun is today…'_ She gently put her fingers to her lips as she remembered the elated feeling of having his lips against her own. The thought made her blushed before she shook her head with a sigh.

"You're getting married… You can't have this feeling…" She told herself, walking to the window. The Nightingale's fluttered to a nearby branch of a peach tree that rose high from the ground. Xuan rested her hands on her arms and watched the two birds look around cautiously before gliding back to the windowsill. The hoped around giving the woman little glances of curiosity as they chirped.

"Are you two my new friends?" Xuan asked while she laughed at the silliness of the question.

Suddenly, her door opened making the two birds fly off again in fear. Xuan watched the two leave before looking back at her mother, who had just come in. She also had to hand maids with her, who went to the other side of the room and waited. Da closed the door behind her before going towards the maple closet in the corner of the room. Xuan noted the angered look on the woman's face. She hadn't really seen her mother lately, she didn't necessarily care either.

"Are all your things packed?" Da asked stiffly, not making eye contact as she continued to rummage through the closet.

"Yes, your loyal servants packed everything" Xuan replied in irritation, leaning on the windowsill again. "I could have packed myself, you know? I'm not helpless"

"Good" Da stated, ignoring the second half of Xuan's reply. She handed a red silk dress to one of the hand maids. It was a tight fitting dress with sleeves that extended passed the hands. It extended to below the hips before fanning out into a whitish silver satin. The waist had in a built in corset that had a thick gold belt around the stomach. On the torso a gold tiger pounced gracefully and had a gold trimming.

"Wow, that seems comfortable" Xuan implied sarcastically, eyeing the dress uneasily. "Why must it be so formal?"

Da sighed. "I'm beginning to wonder if that school taught you anything" She wondered out loud, picking up the butterfly pendant. "Ah. This is Lord Jin's present. It will match greatly with the dress"

Xuan glanced half-heartedly at the hair piece. It was a very nice gift, but perhaps that was only a ruse to hide the real intentions of this unknown person. "Where is Lord Xun?" She asked randomly, watching the Nightingales chirp apparently to each other, still lingering on the tree.

There was an undeniable pause after the question. "Why do you ask?" Da asked, gesturing the hand maids to leave to prepare the young girls bath. The two left as commanded.

"I… I don't know. I was just wondering if he will be there when I… leave" Xuan said, emphasizing dread on the last word. "He is my friend after all"

'_Friend, is he? Or perhaps that is too vague a term.' _Xuan thought.

"I don't think he will be there" Da said, laboriously "He is busy after all"

'_No. He will be there…' _

"I doubt that" Xuan implied, closing her eyes and smiling.

'_He won't have any other priorities. Xun's devoted like that…' _

Da narrowed her eyes in on Xuan in contempt. "You seem to really want Lord Xun to be there. You don't seem as eager to have Lord Yu there or Xiao or even me. Why is that?"

'_You? Be literal, you know you want me gone…_'

"Don't be silly" Xuan laughed, humoring her. She stood and turned towards her mother with a sly expression. "Where would I be without you?"

'_Not in this predicament, that's for sure…' _

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Meanwhile, a district road, the Wu territory…

'There it is, sir. The Wu Palace" A soldier in blue clad told his superior, who was mounted contently on his bay horse. He eyed the elaborate palace that rose high over the trees in the distance.

"Indeed. Only an about an hour now" Jin smiled with anticipation. _'Gee… I wonder if she'll recognize me. Well, it was dark that night…' _He shrugged figuring that he'd find out soon enough.

It was a long, tiresome trip from Wei. Jin kept his men moving for nearly every hour of the day. Only occasionally would he stop and rest. The man often snickered to each other about their leader, who thought them idiotic if they thought he couldn't hear them. That was one of the reasons he kept them moving. Silent punishment, as he called. It was because of the prince's young age and claimed 'inexperience' that they failed to show him respect… but that would change soon enough.

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Midday, The Wu Palace, The entrance hall…

The huge assembly on the first floor was easily heard as Xuan came down the staircase, it didn't help her anxiety. She was now completely dressed in her dress that squeezed tightly around her stomach. Her lengthy hair was wrapped in a bun by the butterfly pendant before falling to her back in two braids. Her face was doused in white powder, ruby red lipstick, and fine gold eye shadow.

Xuan walked down the stairs with her mother next to her with a smug expression. There were also three hand maids following. Finally in the Entrance hall, Xuan looked about the large room. It had become very quiet and all eyes were steady on her, but she didn't seem to notice. She paced through to the center of the room and looked around in search. _'Where… Where is—'_ Xuan noticed Lady Wu standing next to her uncle, Quan, who was seated contently on his throne. Xuan approached them.

"Ah, my niece" Quan chimed, standing. "You look beautiful. Your father would be more than proud of such a beautiful young woman, prepared to serve her kingdom"

Xuan approached before bowing respectively. "Uncle, Grandmother, it is an honor" Xuan said, rising from her bow. "When will… his lordship arrive?"

"Any time now, I'm certain" Lady Wu said, smiling warmly as she always did. "Is something wrong, dear?" She asked, her expression changing from pleasant to concern.

"Well, I was wondering where—" Suddenly the huge tiger adorned door opened and a servant came forward and knelt, bowing his head low. Sun Quan stood as Xuan turned and watched.

"My lord Cao Jin, prince of Wei, has arrived!" The servant announced, standing and moving to the side followed by several soldiers dressed in blue armor scrambled in.

In the next moment, Xuan felt he heart skip a beat when the young prince entered. Her eyes fell upon his face in disbelief. _'He's the one who…'_ Jin approached the Wu emperor giving her a subtle, nonchalant glance as he completely overlooked her dumbfounded expression. The Wu generals exchanged snickers and glances in irritation to having this Wei _brat_ there.

"Welcome, Young lord" Quan said graciously as Jin stopped before him, bowing, his cocoa brown hair shining against the midday beaming in through the windows.

"It is an honor to meet the great ruler of Wu" Jin stated, as the two went on in banter, Xuan thought she was going to faint or just be sick. _'No. This has to be some sick nightmare. There is no way he's my fiancé! This is absurd!' _She thought feeling a hand on her shoulder before looking back to see Zhou Yu.

"Xuan, is something wrong? Are you feeling ill?" He asked giving her a concerned look. Xuan simply shook her head before moving through the quietly crowd and sliding behind the curtain behind her and into a hall way and coincidently bumping into non other than Lu Xun, who was dressed in a red robe for the occasion that he had finally gotten around to going to. He wouldn't have forgiven himself if he didn't get to see her one more time. He looked at her in surprise that made her want to melt, but she had another problem.

"Lady Xuan?" He murmured. "Where are you going?"

"…" Xuan couldn't even speak, she just wanted to break down and cry, and she ended up doing just that. She clasped her head in her hands and sobbed, smearing her makeup.

"M'lady!" Xun cried, kneeling by her. "What happened?"

"Do you know who he is?"

"Who? Lord Jin? Not personally, no" He told her before standing with a knitted brow and an aggravated expression. "Why?"

Xuan took her hands away from her face and stood and looked him steady in the eye. "It was him… He's the one who… raped me" The words fell bitterly off her tongue. She was even embarrassed to say it. Xun gazed at her, mouth agape. _'What!'_

"Are… Are you certain?"

"I will never forget that face" She assured him, answering without a doubt. "And now I can't forget it no matter what, because I have to spend every day with him…" She admitted sorrowfully, tears forming behind her eyes again.

Xun looked from her and the floor. What could he do? Fight the young prince? No, that was way beyond his standards, besides there would be bad consequences if were to do that. Still, how can this go unpunished? Unfortunately, there are far too many flaws in justice-- especially for a woman in China.

Xun opened his mouth to speak, when Shang Xiang peered through the curtain. "Xuan, you need to came back in here… What's wrong?" She asked, noticing her nieces tear stained face.

"… Nothing…" Xuan lied as Shang Xiang came forward and began to fix the smeared makeup. Shang Xiang gave Xun a stern glance.

"Yes, Lady Sun" He murmured, disappearing behind the curtain into the Entrance Hall.

"So what's wrong?" Shang Xiang asked the question that Xuan had heard probably a million times. "You can't fool me"

"…" Xuan looked to her feet, shamefully. _'I can't tell Aunt Shang Xiang my secret… It was a risk even telling Xun…'_ Xuan sighed. "I'm scared I guess"

"I don't blame you. I know how it feels, to have to leave home to get married…" Shang Xiang sighed. "Makes you feel alone doesn't it?"

Xuan looked up at her aunt in curiosity. _'That's right, Shang Xiang, has done this before…'_ Shang Xiang embraced Xuan in a tight hug.

"Don't worry, things will get better" Shang Xiang whispered in her ear.

"Thank you" Xuan said when they parted. Shang Xiang turned towards the Entrance Hall. "Aunt Shang Xiang… Why did you leave Liu Bei?" Shang Xiang looked back at her and sighed.

"That's… a long story" Shang Xiang concluded moving through the curtain. "Now, come on"

Xuan followed reluctantly. _'I guess I can't fight this. Everything is for the kingdom. Almost no marriage is for love and only love. Love is redundant apparently, much like my luck…'_

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**Crappy ending… Oh well. -- -lol- There was a lot of chit chat, I kno, but I swear on a stack of phone- books that it will be more interesting! –lol- Later! **


	9. Misfortune Part II

**Konnichiwa!! Warning! I have just eaten a HUGE candy bar for Halloween and I. Am. CRAZY!! –Laughs evilly- -lol- I just watched a Yu Yu Hakusho movie, unless there's only one so I watched THE Yu Yu Hakusho movie! It was awesome! Thanx to EverKitsune/FOXY, Forgetmenot45, and Umi Frostfurr for reviewing almost every chappie! I luv you guys!!**

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_**Chapter 9 **_

**_Misfortune Part II_**

Midnight, The Wu Palace. Sun Xuan's chamber…

_'I can't believe this… My luck can't be this dismal…' _Xuan thought, lying in her bed. She was far too anxious to sleep. Her mother told her that she would be leaving with Cao Jin for Wei the very next day at noon. Her concern doubled over as she thought of being wed before people she had never met before, none of which were family.

Xuan sat up and got out of her bed and went to her window. The breeze was cool and stale, signaling that Fall was on its way and soon all the beautiful Peach Blossoms would be falling from their branches as they already were doing. Soon it would look like a dead wasteland. How dreadful was everything getting?

Outside the window, the elaborate moon beamed down on China with an iridescent silver glow.

"Xuan!" Someone called in a loud whisper from below, startling her. "Down here!"

Xuan looked down to see Lu Xun, standing on the rocky ground looking up at her. He was still dressed in his same attire from dinner and the silver sheen of the moon emphasized his charming face. Xuan noticed his sabers at his sides.

"Xun? What are you doing?" Xuan asked, leaning over the ledge.

"Shhh" He insisted, looking all around him. "You'll see. Climb down here"

"Climb?" Xuan stated looking around with uncertainty. Her room was three stories up and the only thing she had to climb down on was the nearby Peach tree the Nightingale's were perched on earlier, but it was still too far for her reach. She then noticed a white lattice on the side of the wall. It had a lovely rose vine growing up it.

"Quickly, Xuan" Xun insisted, gesturing her to move faster.

"Umm, okay"

Vigilantly, Xuan grabbed tightly onto the maple windowsill and pulled herself carefully over the ledge. She placed both feet into the diamond-shaped crevices of the lattice. She then climbed the long way down like a ladder.

Finally, her feet met the ground. She turned to the young general and soon found herself in his arms in a tight embrace. She missed the comforting atmosphere that seemed to follow Xun where ever he went.

"What are we doing?" Xuan asked in a whisper. "Why must we sneak around?"

"This man has already hurt you once, I won't let him do it again" Xun told her. Xuan's face flushed at his words. He was determined to keep her safe and she was glad he knew her secret. "Now, come on. We have to move fast a quietly"

With that he grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him. He stopped at a corner and looked in both direction before running forward and passing the bath house to their left. Soon they were in a thick forest, moving ever farther from the palace. Xun felt Xuan slow her pace behind him and stopped, looking back at her.

"Are you alright?" He asked, letting her sit down on a nearby rock.

"Yes, I'm fine. I don't run a lot and the whole situation is kind of a rush" She said in exhaustion and she was quite sleepy all of the sudden. Xuan had the undeniable feeling that she wouldn't be able to hide for very long. And if everyone woke to find her missing, what kind of turmoil that put Wu in?

Xun sat on the rock next to her and noticed the anxiety in her expression as she played with a tiny pebble with her bare feet. He leaned in to her. "Xuan? You seem to use that same depressed expression a lot"

"…" She looked up at him and then looked down once again. "I just… I just don't see how hiding will solve anything…"

"Well, I—"

"You even said yourself… How can you get through life by running away? In war, you can't when by retreating, right?" Xuan smiled, crossing her arms against the cool breeze. Xun laughed entertainingly and sighed.

"You're right" They gazed into each others eyes for a moment before their lips were near touching when suddenly a sharp darted between them. The arrow left a large cut on Xun's cheek. He let out a small whimper of shock and revelation.

"Xun! Are you okay?!" Xuan cried, examining his face in concern before he stood in contempt. Looking about, he unsheathed one of his golden Falcon sabers.

"Show yourself!" Xun demanded angrily, the crimson dripping quickly down his face. Abruptly, a second arrow flared passed them, slicing Xuan on the arm. Xun went to her aid, gesturing her to stand behind him. Someone was missing them on purpose… Someone wanted them aware and afraid, but not dead…

A malevolent laugh came from within the darkness of the trees that rustled as if in restlessness. "How endearing" A harsh voice said with cruel sarcasm. "What have we here, a secret love that no one knows about?"

"Who are you?" Xun hissed, defending her protectively.

They unknown showed themselves and Xuan gasped as Cao Jin showed himself from the shadows. The pale moon light coiled his features in a mysterious evil just like that night, but this time she had Xun to protect her. She cringed dependently behind him. Xun's expression didn't change as the Wei prince showed himself, he knew it was him all along.

"Hmm… I don't seem to recall you" Jin stated, examining the young Wu general critically. "No matter. Getting rid of you won't be that hard. If I don't then you'll ruin everything that I planned. I will never allow that!"

Jin unsheathed a wide steel blade from its sheath on his back and it gleamed in the moon light. "Now, you die!" He cried, dashing forward and lunging the blade towards Xun's gut, but it was easily blocked by Xun's gold saber. Xuan shrieked as she fell to her bottom and scrambled behind a tree grasping her bleeding arm in agony. Xun unsheathed his second saber and brought it down towards the prince's shoulder, but he dodged it just in time.

"You're quick" Jin complemented before he disappeared in an instant and appeared behind Xun, with his blade high above his head. "But not quick enough!" He cried, bringing the sword down. Xuan couldn't her herself screaming at the thought of Xun dying.

CLANK! Xuan opened her eyes to find the two in a deadlock. Xun had the two sabers crossed and held up behind him. Cao Jin grunted in disbelief to how the young general had the strength to withstand the pressure of keeping the blade from cutting him. "Why?! Why won't you die already?!"

Xuan could hardly contain her excitement, but all of the sudden nearly twenty soldier in blue clad appeared out of the trees. Wei officers. They were all armed with swords, spears and pikes. And ready to pounce on Xun like a Tiger on a rabbit.

"Ha!" Jin laughed triumphantly, weighing his sword down on Xun. "What will you do now?!"

Exhausted, Xun spun his body and kicked the Wei prince in the abdomen making him fall back. Several soldiers dashed at him and lunged their weapons at him. He had slain about four when he heard a scream. Xuan's scream.

"Xun!" Xuan shouted as she was pulled from behind a tree by Jin. Xun turned to find a blade to her throat. "Run Xun! Run!" Xuan plead, trying to fight the tight grip holding her still.

"Xun, is that your name?" Jin asked malevolently.

Xun was so preoccupied with Xuan's position that he forgot the danger he was in. A swift Wei soldier appeared behind him. Xuan gasped. "Xun! Behind you!"

With powerful force, Xun was struck relentlessly over the head with something. The last thing he remembered was hearing a woman's scream and quick footsteps before he fell to the cold, leaf coverer ground blacked out.

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Somewhere…

_The ground was cold and unnerving. The atmosphere was bleak and still. Lu Xun aroused face down on the cold ground. He pushed him self to a sitting position and he looked about the dark, dank environment. It looked much like the forest he was in just before he… _

_"Xuan!" He stood quickly and looked around for the girl, but found nothing. He scolded himself for not saving her. "How could I let this happen?!" _

_There was restless pause before the sounds of light, hallow steps began to grow louder. A figure appeared out of nowhere. It was Sun Ce. _

_"Lord Ce!" Xun said in disbelief with wide eyes. "How are you…" _

_The young lords face was stern and derisive as he scowled at Xun with unforgiving eyes. "You were the only one who knew…" He began before pausing. Suddenly, he disappeared and reappeared right before the young general, who double-backed in confusion. _

_"You should have stopped him!" Ce cried, grabbing Xun's collar and lifting him off the ground. "You must stop him! You must stop him before it is too late!" _

_Xun gazed into dark eyes of his lord. They softened to his relief. "They will try to stop you… They will try to keep you away from her, don't let them" _

_Ce's eyes grew stern again. "You must save her… Save her before it's too late!" Ce dropped the young general to the ground with a loud thud. He continued to glare down at him. _

_"Wake up, Xun!" Ce began to shout. Xun looked up at him with a lost expression. "Wake up!" _

Lu Xun shot up from his sleep in a panicky sweat. He looked around expecting to see Ce glaring down at him, but all he found was Zhou Yu next to him in surprise.

"Xun? Are you alright?" Yu asked, leaning toward him.

"Huh? Ouch!" Xun cried, rubbing his head in pain. He was in the infirmary. "What happened?"

"Lord Jin told us that he found you and Xuan in the forest" Yu paused to give him a suspicion glance. "He brought Xuan back. And we found you in the forest, unconscious. Xuan was frantic and she was doing was screaming and crying"

The painful memory of last night flooded back to Xun.

"Lord Jin also said…" Xun looked up at Yu "That he found you trying to defile her and that's why she was screaming and bleeding. She also had cuts on her throat that he claimed you made"

Xun mouth fell in disbelief. Cao Jin had framed Xun for something that never happened. "That is lie!" Xun declared. "I was trying to _save_ her!"

Yu reserved his usual stoic expression as he examined the young general's face for the truth. "Xun, you have always been loyal to Wu. And I believe that you are speaking the truth" Xun sighed in relief. "But… many of the other generals are rather… uncertain"

"Certainly they will believe you above all others" Xun said hopefully. "His lordship always entrusts his confidence your decisions"

"Not this time. Lord Cao Jin has insisted in what he saw and there is no proof otherwise, so…" Xun shook his head, unwilling to believe it. "Where is Lady Xuan?"

She is preparing to leave" Yu said, sipping a small cup of tea. "She leaves at midday"

Xun recalled the bizarre dream he just woke from. He had no doubt that the dream had a meaning. Ce came to him in a dream with a warning. Something bad was going to happen. _'You must stop him! You must stop him before it is too late!'_ The words played again and again in his head. He had to hurry…

Xun stood and dressed quickly. _'I don't have much time…'_

"Xun…" Yu said, standing and going to the door. "I'm afraid that… I cannot let you leave"

"What?" Xun asked gazing at him. "W-why not?"

"The Wei prince requested that you… be incarcerated until Xuan leaves. He believes that she'll be safer"

"She definitely won't be safe with him!" Xun shouted which was far beyond his nature.

"Xun, I'm sorry" Yu said, before opening the door and making his way out.

A soldier locked the door behind Zhou Yu. There were several shouts from within the room, but Yu was unable to do anything about it no matter how much he believed Xun. And he did, he knew Xun would never hurt Xuan. He wasn't like that. Helplessly, Yu made his way toward the Entrance Hall, where he would soon say his final good byes to Xuan before she left for Wei…

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**Oooo cliffie! I think that was a good place to end it— Ahh! –dodges random knives and torches- I'm srry! I promise I'll update sooner next time! TO BE CONTINUED!! BYE**


	10. Misfortune Part III

**I'm back! I want to apologize for the lack of GNxSSX. The pairing isn't the main pairing in this story as you can see. But hopefully, I'll have more of it in later chappies! Srry once again! This chapter is the third and final part of 'Misfortune' I'll start naming them differently again! Anyways, here's chapter 10! ENJOY! PLZ READ AND REVIEW! **

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_**Chapter 10 **_

_**Misfortune Part III **_

Midmorning, the Wu palace, Sun Xuan's chamber…

The gleaming butterfly pendant glinted in the sun's radiant light as it was settled into her sleek brown hair. But Xuan couldn't help but frown in apprehension of leaving this place as she stood in front of the window. She had a ghastly feeling of where Lu Xun was at the moment. The phony tale Cao Jin told to get Xun into major trouble burned angrily in her heart. It was repulsive lie and she felt ashamed that her own family would believe his words.

"Lady Xuan?" A hand maid called, opening the door slightly. "It is time to go, M'lady"

Xuan hung her head reluctantly. She turned towards the widow and clasped her hands in front of her. The same two Nightingale's from before chirped happily on the branch outside as they soaked in the radiant midday light. Xuan smiled at their careless play and affection nudging at each other tenderly. _'Mates, they are. No concerns. No question about anything' _

"M'lady?" The hand made inquired again startling Xuan from her pointless daydreaming. She sighed and turned towards the door.

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Meanwhile, the Wu Palace, the infirmary…

Everything seemed to drone in his head at once. There was so much to do in so very little time and Xun was incarcerated in this damned room. He felt hopelessly betrayed as he paced the wooden floor in thought. _'It's almost noon'_ He thought, looking out the window. _'I need a plan. I'm going to have to sneak out first'_ If that lowly Wei prince thought him a fool, Xun was prepared to prove him wrong.

Suddenly there was a broad knock on the door before it was unlocked and opened. It was Gan Ning who slid through the door and closed it quickly behind him.

"Ning! What are you doing here?" Xun exclaimed turning to his friend in relief. He had never been so happy to see the pirate.

"Xun, there's something weird about that Jin guy" Ning insisted rather quietly. "I heard about what happened this morning. I don't believe it. And besides I heard Jin talking to one of his soldiers about something odd. Something about a plan, I dunno" Ning concluded, crossing his arm and shaking his head in uncertainty.

"Where is Xuan now?" Xun asked critically.

"Uhh… She's with Lady Da and everyone else in the Entrance Hall" Ning explained. "She and Jin will leave in only about an hour"

Xun looked to the floor, trying to think of some way to stop all this. _'What do I do now?' _Xun looked up suddenly. He observed Ning's usual attire and also a bowl of water on the floor. He had a plan.

"I know that look!" Ning laughed loudly. "You've gotta plan, like always!"

"Yes" Xun nodded "But I'll be in need of your help…and your clothes"

Ning gave him a disturbed glance. "Wwwhy?"

"When you came in, there were guards guarding the door, correct?"

"Yeah, like three, why?"

"They recognized you and let you come in. You've gained their trust so when you leave they'll assume that you didn't do anything tricky while in here" Xun told him, looking at the door and the shadows running across the opening at the bottom.

"So? They won't let you out"

"Correct, they won't let _me_ out, but they'll let _you_ out" Xun smiled slyly "Which means they'll also let me out if they think I'm you. But they will also think it is me in here when it's really you, get it?"

Ning stared at him with a blank expression for a moment "So, You'll be me and I'll be you, gotcha" Ning nodded as he removed his bandanna and the feather that stuck out perpetually from his head and handed them to Xun.

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Meanwhile, the Wu Palace, the Entrance Hall…

A bustling crowd had gathered in the Entrance Hall as Xuan reluctantly walked about, receiving a few goodbyes already. As she expected, Xun was no where to be found and she was becoming worried and suspicious. Did they truly believe and side with Jin?

Zhou Yu moved passed her, mistakably not notice her. Xuan reached for his arm. "Uncle Yu?"

"Hmn?" She looked down at her with his usual neutral expression. "Ah, Xuan, you're lovely today. That Jin is quite lucky to have such a beautiful fiancé" He mused, bowing to her.

"…Thank you" Was all Xuan could reply, his statement not sounding to enthusiastic. "Where is Lord Jin, by the way?"

"I recall seeing him with our Lord" Yu replied

"Hmm…" Xuan was silenced in thought for a moment. '_Now that I think about it, Jin is **always** with Lord Quan'_

Xuan advanced across the Oak wood floor, observing each and every face, bantering heartily with each other about irrelevant things such as wine and women. Most of the banters being men after all. She banished there pointless existence without concern considering none either didn't know or didn't care about the evil lurking in the darkness ready to lung at any time.

Then she saw him. Through the bustling crowd, she noticed his haughty face smirking amongst the crowd he obviously found to be 'inferior'. She was ready to confront him for the first time. She didn't know if it was her father's boldness that influenced or her own curiosity, but she would find out what he was _really_ up to.

She approached, chin high and unafraid, he finally noticed her and a sneer spread across his face. Sun Quan was also there and stood when he perceived her approach.

"Niece!" Quan proclaimed proudly, wrapping her in a hug as she neared. "You're beautiful as always" He said when he stood back before turning to Cao Jin, who wiped his sneer away to prevent Quan from becoming suspicious, he quickly placed it with a smile revealing pearly whites. Quan bowed adequately, swaying his arms towards Xuan before walking off, leaving them alone. Xuan glared at him in skeptically which Jin disregarded conceitedly.

"My, it's pleasant to see you once again" He began with mocking her in a pleasant voice that made Xuan want to gag. "I must say, you look much better in the light, _with_ your clothes on" He concluded, smirking again.

Xuan narrowed her eyes on him. "What are you doing here?" She demanded "Why further this charade? You're disgusting"

"Now, why the unnecessary crudity?" He asked with a furrowed brow "Rashness will get you no where… nor will it your friend, Xun, was it?" He stated triumphantly, his smirk widening.

"Why did you lie?" She half whispered. "What are you hiding?"

"You assumptions are extraneous and bothersome" He came closer, pressing his cool hand against her cheek. "I only wish to have you"

Xuan, quickly swatted his hand away, and proceeded to scowl at him. "You're lying, you aren't fooling me or Xun. Xun _will_ be here, he _will_ stop you"

"Hmph" Jin scoffed. "Right, of course he will" With that he stalked off.

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In the infirmary…

His sleek brown hair was slicked back and the clothes fit considerably. He peered in the mirror and he did look quite like Ning… if you didn't look hard enough. His chin wasn't quite as rugged and his eyes weren't as harsh looking, but he was still firmly determined that the plan to work out, pretending to be Ning would be successful.

"Wow" Came Ning opinion, looking at him in astonishment. "Damn, you _do_ look like me"

"Precisely, but still if someone comes in you have to pretend to be me, understand?" Xun asked, adjusting the Ning's vest so that the high collar obscured his face.

"Gotcha" Ning replied, sitting on the bed. He was now dressed in Xun's robe and pulling his hair down in his face with the water, trying to look more like Xun which proved difficult. He turned towards the window to hide his face. "Hurry, it's almost noon"

Xun nodded and headed towards the door, opening it and glided through the door. The soldiers looked up then while Xun kept his head low in the shadow of the high collar of the vest. The soldiers soon disregarded him and went back to sitting on the ground, dozing off.

Finally, Xun came to the corner, breaking into a fast sprint, heading down flights of stairs toward the Entrance Hall. _'Hang on Xuan!' _

Outside the large doors of the Entrance Hall, Xun kept his head down as several hand maids filed out. He peeked in and noticed Xuan talking to Jin. Jin suddenly came closer to her and pressed his hand against her cheek. Xun grit his teeth. Xuan defiantly swatted his hand away then said something inaudible over the crowd. With that, Jin stalked off leaving Xuan to stand there, helplessly. Xun was about to go to her when a voice called out to him.

"Ning, you good for nothing dead beat! Where have you been?!" Shang Xiang demanded, approaching him from one of the tables in contempt. "Off with some chamber maid again, were you?!"

Xun mentally panicked. '_Lady Shang Xiang! What now?!'_ Shang Xiang gripped his hand and forced him along, completely overlooking his face. She demanded that he sit at the table with her. Xun looked towards Xuan, but she had disappeared from her original spot. He sighed and sat next to Shang Xiang, powerlessly.

"Ning?" She said leaning into him. "Are you… sick? You seem kinda different" She said, implying that he seemed less built than usual.

"N-no" Xun replied before quickly adjusting his voice and demeanor to that of Ning's. "Me? Sick? Don't be stupid!" He ordered loudly, mentally kicking himself for insulting the princess. "I, Ning, am never sick!" He stood proudly, hands on hips. Shang Xiang stared at him stoically.

"Yeah, I don't think you're sick either" She replied, sipping a cup of wine. "Just nuts"

Xun sat down again, mending his hair which was beginning to fall over the red bandana and into his face. He looked around the room in search of Xuan, whom he found standing near her mother, Da who looked anxious as usual. He couldn't approach her, not with Da there.

"Everyone!" Quan's broad voice rang out, addressing all in the massive room. He raised his arms over his head before bringing then down. "Toady, an everlasting agreement with our neighboring kingdom, Wei, will be made with the marriage of my niece and the young prince of Wei" Quan announced, gesturing one arm towards Jin, who stood with crossed arms, and one arm to Xuan, who cringed unnervingly.

"And now!" Came Quan's voice once more, motioning Xuan to come to his side which she did. "They depart for Wei, where they will be wed!" He said proudly before a loud cheer broke out and someone through a chair that clocked Huang Gai in the head, but he didn't even feel it as it split into pieces.

The cheers and rejoicing was all proof of the high gullibility in the room. Xun could no longer take it, he jumped up.

"NO!!" He cried, gripping that table and giving Jin a glare worse than death. He had never used such and expression, of course he had never been never been so livid either. He couldn't hide behind his placidness and longer.

All eyes fell on him then. Quan looked confused, Zhou Yu looked unusually stunned, and Xuan… She was apparently having mixed feelings of stunned, confused, and panicked as to why Ning would object. Jin looked appalled and disgusted as he held his head high, glaring at Xun's implied insolence.

"Ning?" Shang Xiang's soft voice came in shock. Xun glanced at her for a second before leaving the table and stalking across the floor. The sound of his boots reverberated through the silent room.

Xun reached for his head and pulled the bandana from his head. It and the feather fell to the ground with out a sound. There were a few gasps from the women as his hair fell over his face.

"Xun…" Quan admitted, staring at him in disappointment. Xuan flashed a relieved smile, glad that he was okay.

"You!" Jin growled. "Why are you here?"

"The same inquiry applies to you" Xun seethed through gritted teeth. "I don't know how you got everyone to believe that garbage of a story you, but you won't away with it!" He turned to a nearby soldier and unsheathed the sword from the sheath at the soldier's side. He pointed it at Jin and again there were loud gasps.

"Xun!" Yu cried, emerging from the crowd in astonishment. "Have you gone mad?"

"Yu, I thought you of all people would see through his plot" Xun stated, looking back at him, but only for a moment. Yu stopped dead in his tracks.

"You are a fool if you think you're little out burst will succeed" Jin smirked with a quirked brow and crossed arms, clearly not intimidated. "Why would I lie about what you did? Hurting dear Xuan here" Jin asked, gesturing towards his fiancé, who could only give stunned glances. "I only informed what I saw"

"Damn you!" Xun blurted, lunging for Jin, who revealed the same sleek blade from the night before. There blades clashed and there were screams from Xuan and other women in the room, who scrambled out. Quan dodged in time with Xuan in his arms, protectively. The two fighters glared feudally through the blades.

"You won't get away with this!" Xun proclaimed in contempt, pushing back. The soldier's weak sword was worthless and he let it clatter to the floor. "I won't let you"

"Restrain him!" Quan commanded, still shielding Xuan before several soldiers seize upon Xun. He had no choice but to give in to them. One grasped his hands and tied them behind his back and forced him to the ground. Xuan tried to break free to help him, but she was unable to free herself from her uncle's strong grasp.

"Xun!" Xuan called out to her, but her call was unheard and soon she found herself in Jin's grasp. Quan approached Xun and forced the general to look up at him. He glared in to Xun's eyes for a moment before striking him forcefully across his face that made even Yu shudder. Xun cried out in agony, agony that made Jin chuckle quietly.

"Take him away!" Quan ordered, stalking off in disgust. With that, Xun was lifted from his knees, passing Xuan a sorrowful look at Xuan before being taken away, only trying to resist until too exhausted to bother.

Xuan felt tears well up in her eyes as she tried to break away, but Jin held her close with amazing strength. With that the celebration went on as if the incident never occurred…

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Noon, outside the Wu Palace…

The hollow goodbye from a few general's made my heart only ache more. Watching Xun being taken away in cuts and a sharp bruise across his face made me scream inside. It was now noon and I was helped inside the carriage by Jin himself. I reluctantly obliged to his assistance and was quick to rid myself of it. The sound of the horse's hooves could be heard followed by the sudden lunge of the carriage.

I peeked out the window and noticed Zhou Ying, standing with her sobbing mother. In her hand was the ribbon I had given her as a parting gift. It wisped in the wind as Ying held it to her heart. She gazed into my eyes and gave me a small, yet warm smile. She raised her hand and waved feebly. I waved back and felt the tears coming back. Soon the small girl was far out of sight and I was left to stare into the gloomy setting of the carriage.

I wouldn't let my hope fade. I will fight to come back to Wu, a place I used to despise. Jin had intentions to bring Wu harm, and thoughts of Ying flooded back. I won't let them hurt her or anyone else! I shall find a way to save Wu! I'll find a way to came back to Xun…

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**So what do ya think??????? I actually liked it, I hope you did too! I kno Lu Xun was OOC a little, but everyone breaks away from normality sometimes. PLZ READ AND REVIEW! Tell me what you think so far! And look 4 chapter 11! Ya'll hate that Jin guy don't you! –lol- BYE! R&R! **


	11. The Road To Wei

**Alright chapter 11! I think it's moving kinda slow tho… I'll try to start updating more often! WOOT! This entire chappie is about Sun Xuan and Cao Jin! No Xunie –Dodges rocks and burning torches- Srry! More Xunie in the next chappie! Okay, nuff talkie! More story:) –lol- ENJOY! **

**This chappie is in Xuan's POV! Okay, I shut up now! **

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**_Chapter 11 _**

_**The Road To Wei**_

Sunset, a road leading out of the Wu territory…

The sun was now lowering over the horizon in the west; I could see it perfectly from the carriage window. It was one of the most glorious things I've ever thing I've seen, one of them anyways… As you can well imagine, I miss being in Wu, a place I used to despise. Its elaborate interior filled to the brim with immaculate items. And now I miss it, now that I can't return. I miss home, Uncle Yu, Aunt Shang Xiang, little Ying, everyone. Especially Xun. I can't help but wonder what's happening to him… No doubt he's being scolded for attacking Jin. I only wish they could see how oblivious they are.

Cao Jin is walking his horse next to me now with his head turned in the direction of the sun. "Beautiful, is it not?" He asked referring to the sunset, turning his head to me now.

I don't respond, I simply stare at him for a moment then down at the ground that flowed by underneath the carriage wheels. Dirt splashes like water as the horse kicks it behind itself. A rock gets crushed under the wheel.

"Silent treatment is it?" Jin's voice startles me, how long has he been there… watching be with hid demonic eyes? He strokes his mare's mane affectionately and her ears flick in reply.

"I must apologize" I look up at his face, wide-eyed. Apologize? "I suppose things may be overwhelming for you…"

What is he talking about?

"That man…" He began, his brow quirks with aggravation as he looks away from me and strokes the mare's mane again. "Xun, was it? He seems to have really taken a liking to you, no?" He pauses to glance at me, but my confused expression hasn't changed.

His expression changed to a scowl as he looked the other way. Perhaps he was angry at his question and wanted to take it back, fearing the answer. But I didn't answer anyways. Instead, I brought up another topic.

"Have you forgotten?" I asked, my expression is stoic now. Unreadable. His head shouts towards me, stunned that I had spoken. He gave me perplexed gaze that made it obvious that he was completely oblivious to my statement. I continued. "About that night, when you…"

There was a pause between us. He stared at me with the same perplexed look before his mouthed swerved into a deviant smirk. "Oh, that" He said, smiling wide and starting to chuckle slightly.

I glared at him with contempt. He seemed happy… proud of himself. Disgusting. He was glad for what he did to me and seemed perfectly content with doing it again.

"Why are you laughing?" I demanded "Are you proud to hurt me?"

"Hurt you? Never" He replied, holding his head high and looking down the path before us.

"Then what were you doing?" I asked with a knitted brow. A random soldier walking in front of us peered back at us with meddlesome curiosity. He glanced at me, still smirking.

"We shall discuss it later" He assured me before cantering off ahead. I watched him for awhile until I turned back to the sunset. It was almost completely sunken under the land.

o-o-o

That night, around midnight, I couldn't sleep. I was terrified, my heart was pounding. I had cried a few times, but it was hard to cry and keep quiet. I stay in the carriage in hopes the thin wooden walls would protect me. I felt them closing around me, tighter and tighter and I felt as though I was going to be sick. I wanted to go home so bad; I was unable to contain my fear any longer. And I let the tears flow.

What would Wei be like? Would they accept me? Is it anything like Wu? My questions would be answered soon enough.

-Knock knock-

I almost jumped out of my skin. That sounded like a good idea, but impossible. I quickly rubbed bloodshot eyes and straightened my dress. No use, I can cover up my grieving.

KNOCK KNOCK-

The knocking was louder and more forceful this time, reluctantly I creaked the door open so only my eye was shown. "Who is it?" Who ever it was, forced the door open. It was Cao Jin. Great. He stared at me for a moment and I could tell that he was slightly tipsy. Double great. Without a word he climbed inside and shut the door behind himself. TRIPLE GREAT!

My heart quickened as he leaned towards me. "W-what are you doing?!" I shrieked. He didn't seem to hear me because he push me onto my back and laid on top of he, his head on my chest.

It was dark. The light of the crescent moon beamed in from the window, which was facing away from the fire, where the soldiers were getting drunk. I could hear their loud bantering and slurred voices in the silence if the carriage.

"Your heart" I was startled when Jin started talking. "It's so… fast" He mustn't have been too intoxicated, his voice didn't slur. But I'm sure he had drunk something. He seemed very exhausted and his breathing was slow as if her were sleeping.

"Why were you crying?" He asked, stroking my wrist and hand.

I paused and considered the up-front question. "I wasn't crying, what are you talking about?" I asked with aggravation, moving my hand away so he could no longer caress it.

"You lie" He replied "Ladies shouldn't lie"

"No, I suppose we shouldn't" I concurred in a mock tone. "Especially like you have"

He bursted out in loud laughter then and said "You're quite an extraordinary one. Keen and eloquent, you'll fit well in Wei and as my empress" I shuddered at that even though I already knew that was going to be his wife, it still frightened me.

He sighed and nuzzled into the nape of my neck. I gasped by accident, my entire body freezing under his. "W-why would you choose me?" I choked out, wanting to slide out from under him.

There was no reply, but I could his steady breathing it was soft and warm against my neck. I could feel the steady rise and fall of his chest against my own. He was asleep. At that moment I had a great revelation, I had the power to smother him quietly right there and sneak out the window of the carriage. No one would know, at least until _I_ was long gone. I could have escaped all this… but I didn't. Why, I don't know… I couldn't bring myself to kill him, not yet.

o-o-o

The next day was utterly boring, but I occupied myself with thoughts of home and of Xun. The more I thought about them, the more they made me depressed. So I attempted to focus on something else. The interior of this carriage was boring and tedious, and it had a huge insignia that said 'Wei' in calligraphy on the wall. Depressing.

I gazed out my window, some of the trees were slashed and cut do to recent battles. Depressing and sickening. I gazed up at the sky now there were no clouds, just a beautiful ocean of blue. I lingered on its beauty until I heard the sound of rhythmic hoove beats.

Jin, trotted the graceful black mare until he reached the window, where I was leaning over and staring at him. I watched how he directed the large animal without much effort. He sat up straight on its back, ever so complimenting his broad shoulders. He flashed his brilliant smile at me.

"Good Morning!" He chimed in a new warm voice I hadn't heard before, it was bizarre. He seemed so _pleasant_. I couldn't help but to smile back and I scolded myself for it. "Can I assume you're hungry?"

The question was unexpected and it made me realize that indeed I was. "…Y-yes" I choked, looking away at the long path ahead of us. Suddenly a piece of bread was shoved in front of me. I looked at it and then at him. He was holing it out to me as he plastered an egotistical expression on his face.

"It's not much, but it's better than nothing" He said, smirking now before glowering down at me. "Well, take it!" He snapped. I obliged by taking it and examining as if were poisoned. I ate it nonetheless; as a matter of fact I devoured it without noticing how hungry I was. I looked back at him when I finished. He was giving me an astonished expression.

"What?" I asked, wiping a crumb from my mouth. "I was hungry"

"I see" He replied through raised brows.

"Does a fast eater repel you?" I asked, leaning my elbows on the window sill. "I'll wager you prefer those quiet, slender girls, no?"

His laughter bellowed. "Not quite. As a preference, I favor assertiveness if anything" I told me, gazing at me with satisfaction. "And are you not slender? You speak down on yourself. And quiet? Not at all, too boring" He eyed me furtively then and I knew what he was implying. I averted my eyes elsewhere and he chuckled slightly.

"Don't fret though" He said with assurance. "Wei is only a couple days away" I groaned in displeasure. "I'm positive you'll fit in adequately, but I must warn you" I looked up at him now. "There are some you should avoid"

"Why?" I asked, inquisitively.

He shrugged "Depends. Such as some of the generals, some of them don't socialize with women at all. And others would love to be with you" He scoffed. I was disgusted by both these nasty generals and him. He spoke like he didn't relate to them and he would definitely would fall under that second group.

"But don't worry. Chances are they won't adjust to you for a while, considering where you're from and all" Jin said as if he were assuring me something. I didn't like his words, not at all. I spoke as if Wu was an inferior. That bastard.

"Sorry to inconvenience you" I practically snapped. I turned away and stared at the insignia on the opposing wall.

"Actually, there's—" He was interrupted mid-sentence. There was a commotion outside, I looked back and found Jin knocked from his horse. He was on the ground now with his sword in his hand.

Bandits bounded from the trees and engaged him combat. Wei soldiers were dashing towards the assaulting bandits that seemed to pour from the nearby forest. Jin was being overwhelmed and outnumbered, but he continued to slice his way through the defiant crowd of rogues.

Where did they come from? What did they want? Suddenly there were clatters on the roof of the carriage; I knew it was the bandits. They slashed at the wood with axes until it finally burst. Dust was in my eyes, making them sting and suddenly I was rolling onto my back, slamming into the wooden seat. Apparently they were trying to get inside the carriage and now attempting to push it over. Had the idiots ever heard of a door?

Nonetheless, the carriage landed on its side, I cringed at the pain at my side. Suddenly I felt a cold hand on my forearm; I looked up and saw a masked figure glaring down at me. I could smell his fowl breath on face, but I tried to rip away from his grasp by swiftly kicking him in the gut. He grunted, but he only dug his fingers deeper into my flesh; His long untrimmed nails even making me bleed. I cried out in pain.

The pain in my arm was abruptly relieved and I looked up and into the eyes of Jin. He had many cuts on his hands and a gash that was already bleeding tremendously, but he disregarded it. He had succeeded in slicing the bandit who attacked me and was now reaching for me. He pulled me to my feet and pulled me forward, through clashed swords and spilled blood on the ground.

"Quickly!" Jin cried as he dragged me along after him. I noticed his mare, rearing and trying to escape the clashing swords: it was trapped. Jin released me and reached his hands up and grabbed the reins, the horse reared and then settled on the ground. Jin elevated him onto the horse and then reached down for me.

"C'mon!" He ordered, I didn't argue. I climbed onto the back of the horse and settling my self in front of him. Suddenly the horse bounded forward through the trees. I closed my eyes tightly and I don't when it happened or why, but I suddenly fell unconscious…

o-o-o

I must have slept all day, for when I woke the sky was dark blue and filled with gleaming stars. I could feel the warmth of the small fire in front of me before I even opened my burning eyes that stung from the dust still in my eyes. I looked around and found that I was no longer on the path that we were originally traveling on. Instead I was in a clearing somewhere in the forest.

I heard a commotion from somewhere around me. I noticed Cao Jin far on the other side of the fire, standing at his horse's side. He was mumbling under his breath as he rummaged through the saddle bags.

"Something wrong?" I asked, laughing slightly. He whipped around and obviously startled.

"Nothing irreplaceable" He replied, turning back to the saddle. His mare began to graze on the fresh grass at her hooves.

I tried to stand, but a piercing pain in my chest kept me seated. I gripped my chest and cried out in agony. Jin whipped around again and darted towards me.

"Don't move!" He snapped, wrenching my hand away from my chest. I then realized that my entire chest was exposed, revealing a thick bandage across my chest where I had slit myself. The wound I had gotten when threatening to jump off the balcony was still new and must have reopened in all the commotion. This could have been why I fell unconscious earlier.

"You've lost a lot of blood" Jin stated, seeming rather concerned. "Try to stay still"

I leaned back against a tree. "What happened?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Rogues. They attack anyone traveling down a road, even military officials. It's all the same to them" He stood and advanced back to his grazing mare. "They really only wanted our provisions, but they wouldn't give up a little female play-toy, would they?"

That statement frightened me a little. What if those bandits had captured me? What if Jin hadn't saved me? Unfortunately, I had no choice but to be grateful. I wondered where his soldiers were, odd that he would just leave them. I massaged a pain in my stomach from when I hit the inside of the carriage when they tipped it over.

"We still have a day and a half or so ahead" Jin said, tightening the mare's girth. "Since it's the two of us now, it wouldn't be a waste of time to travel by night"

I nodded. I reached for the tree for assistance, but before I knew it, Jin was standing over me. He wrapped an arm around my waist and lifted me to my feet. The mare was standing next to us; Jin climbed onto her back and gently lifted me up and placing me behind him this time. I clung to him, wrapping my arms around his stomach and leaning my head on his back.

"Try not to faint this time" He said, laughing. "You almost fell off last time"

I smiled at his dense sense of humor. Again I scolded myself for his flattery; I keep forgetting what this man did to me. The horse lurched forward and on to Wei. Frankly, all I wanted was some food and somewhere soft to sleep.

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**It's hard writing a story in first person. Anyways, I'm glad I got this chappie in faster this time! I hope you likie! –lol- READ AND REVIEW: P**


	12. Of All People

**-sigh- I have not updated in awhile and I'm srry bout that. Exams are in a week and you know how it is. I apologize again for the delay on the chappie! HERE'S CHAPTER 12! ENJOY! **

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_**Chapter 12**_

_**Of All People**_

Four days after Cao Jin and Sun Xuan's departure. Mid-afternoon, the Wu palace. In the basement, the prison hold…

The dank atmosphere was ominous and dismal, smelling of the many prisoners that had met there end there. Even skulls and bones of the dead still lay sparsely around the stony floor. The lone torch that was hung on the wall was the only sign that he hadn't been completely engulfed in the eternal darkness of his mind. A rat scurried near the wall passed him, but he gave no heed.

The small cell was one of many in the dark corridor. There were cries and shouts from some other prisoners in no better situation than he. He kept his head down, sighing for the millionth time, uncomfortably rubbing his back. But the bodily pain was nothing compared to the heartache. What a repulsive feeling of guilt he felt. He had made a vow to protect her, but he didn't. He failed her and failure was a rare thing for him.

There were several cries and moans of prisoners a few cells from his. This was definitely one place he never expected to be. He suddenly heard the sound of steady, rhythmic foot steps of the cold stone floor, they stopped before his cell, but he paid no heed and didn't look up.

"Lu Xun" it was Lu Meng, his raspy voice was easily identifiable. As a good a friend he was, Xun didn't lift his head, but spoke in a low condescending voice.

"Are you here to scold me like all the others?" He asked, scoffing. "Go ahead then, it is but a waste your breath" He heard Meng sigh.

"No" Came is regretful reply. Xun looked up then, rather stunned. Meng leaned against the bars. "Xun, you've always been a good friend to me." He murmured. "And a great general… but what happened was…" He paused as if searching for the correct word to use. "…unbelievable in a sort"

"I am not ashamed" Xun replied firmly "I feel no regret" He was suddenly on his feet, his eyes burning with contempt. He voice gradually rising. "The only remorse I feel is failing to _kill_ him right then!" Xun hissed, wrapping his hands tightly around the iron bars that incarcerated him in that damned place.

Meng gazed back at him, his face revealing no emotion or even shock over his young friend's disdain. He was busy trying to fathom if Xun was simply heart broken or completely lost his sanity all together. "Do you have _any_ idea what kind of situation you could have placed this kingdom in?" Meng growled, his features cringing in disgust. "Do you have an inkling of what could have happened if Jin weren't so lenient about your actions?"

Xun's angry face fell.

"Did you even _think_ about the consequences?" Meng pressed. "_You_ of all people should understand more than any other. What do you think would have happened to Lady Xuan?" Meng muttered. Xun's eyes flickered at the sound of her name.

"I… Er" Xun was left speechless—Meng's gift for gab out doing him. Nonetheless, Meng was right. This, egotistical person, wasn't him and in a way, saving Xuan was attempted only for himself. Xun's were fixed on the stony floor when he heard the sound the iron bars sliding open. He looked up to find Meng giving a friendly smile.

"Come on, Lord Quan has requested your presence" Xun sighed and stepped out of the dank cell.

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Meanwhile, the Wei territory, the main road to the capital…

The Wei palace was incredible. It was far beyond something an imagination could craft. It towered over the trees so high it was easy for Xuan to see it miles away even if she was in the middle of a thriving forest. The immaculate glows of the sun captivated every curve and carve of its exterior. It was seven stories and had the fashion of various shapes of blue and red, exquisite without question.

"Amazing" Xuan marveled whispering accidentally into Jin's listening ear. A pleased grin spread across his face.

It had been days since Xuan left Wu. Her simple ride in her secure, personal carriage ended with the unforeseen ambush by the insolent bandits, spending the remainder part of her trip on the back of Jin's graceful mare. To her disclosure, her journey alone with him was quite smooth. He treated her with concern, but also maintaining the personal space between them, preserving the thickening trust.

In anticipation to get there faster, Jin pressed the mare quickly forward, satisfied when Xuan's small form tensed and held him tighter. The thumping sound of hooves against the dirt ground transitioned to clamping sound of stone. They had come to a cobblestone path heading directly for the capital—the magnificent palace before them.

"Almost home" Jin said over his shoulder with a beaming smile. Xuan gazed at him with a melancholy expression. Was that a good thing?

Moments later they came to a halt before a large flight of stairs leading towards the massive bronze doors. On the front, carved in the polished reddish brown was a refined Phoenix.

Cao Jin dismounted first, then holding a helpful hand up to her. Sun Xuan hesitated. She didn't need his help. Not _his_. But she submitted to his assistance, taking grasp of his warm hand. She half expected it to be cold and bitter. He smiled and pulled her off the horse, just as to stable boys scurried forward, bowed, and scurried off with horse again.

"I suppose we'll have to find you some new attire" Jin chirped. Xuan recalled the destruction of her carriage including its contents—her belongings. "But we shall discuss this later. Now I introduce you"

Xuan shuddered, reluctant to meet anyone here. But she followed him into the colossal palace, staying close.

The entrance hall was a large portion of the first with a few side doors that led who knows where. There was an identical door as the entrance on the other side of the large room. Down the center, leading from the main entrance to the large door on the other end, was a red velvet carpet. That was the basic sum of what was in the room besides several statues of Wei's founders and former emperors. At the bottom of one read 'Cao Cao', Xuan noticed as she passed by. He was a tall man, according to the life-size statue. His face was thin with age and hostile.

"That's my grandfather" Jin explained, noticed her interest. He walked to the statue and bowed devotedly. "Great emperor—better that my father anyways" He said sullenly with a frown. He straitened and advanced to the bronze doors leading to the throne room.

Xuan gazed after him with a perplexed expression. _'He seemed angry towards his father…'_ Shrugging, she followed him through the doors. The room was very elegant. Meticulous carved columns rose like mammoth trees from the floor to the ceiling. The walls were made of fine mahogany wood, as did the floors. There were also vases and screens scattered sparsely around the large room. At the opposing end of the room was a platform that raised several and at the top, a golden throne…but the Wei emperor not present in it.

Sun Xuan was surprised to see the emperor missing from his throne, her Uncle Quan spent all day there. She turned to Cao Jin now, he seemed completely composed and unsurprised. She expected him to be appalled that his own father was absent to meet his son's fiancé. But he was not.

"Er…Where in the emperor?" Xuan asked cautiously.

"Probably with his who—" He paused mid-sentence glancing at her, the looking away. "Never mind" With a swift wave biding her to follow, he led her through a second, smaller door on one end of the room. It led into an empty corridor with a staircase on the opposing end.

Sun Xuan mumbled under her breath. Her legs and back ached after being seated on a horse for days at a time.

"Tired?" He asked seeming to read her mind. He didn't bother to look back at her or wait for a reply. "or are you simply nervous?"

"Er…no" Xuan replied vaguely. "Just tired" As they climbed the stairs there was a long silence that threatened to rip form her in a matter of seconds.

"Umm… Your palace is beautiful" She murmured, half hoping he didn't hear the compliment.

"Hmn" Quicker than lightening, he whipped around and pulled her feverishly close in a powerful vice grip. Xuan fought to hold a gasp of shock in while Jin took pleasure in the sweet scent of her hair. His eyes closed with a leisurely smile, wrapping his arms around her waist. "My, you smell almost as sweet as the last time I held you this close"

Sun Xuan shuddered and tried to break free but he only held her tighter.

"Hm, what's wrong?" he inquired in a wicked voice. "Do I frighten you?" He began to nibble on her ear. "Or perhaps that isn't it at all. Perhaps it's _need_" He emphasized the disgusting word. Xuan wondered feverishly how his sudden behavior was aroused because of a simple compliment like 'Your palace is beautiful'

She struggled defiantly until he finally released her, letting her stumble backwards. Her entire body convulsed in terror. '_How am I going to survive here?!'_

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Back in Wu, the throne room…

Sun Quan sighed as he leaned his head on the back of his throne. "'Of all people to do such a thing' I'll wager you've heard that a lot, no?" He asked, scowling down upon Lu Xun, who stood before him reluctantly, yet unaffected by the emperors harsh glare. He had no issue with keeping a steady stoic gaze in return.

"Well, I am also quite shaken by the sudden _audacity_ you have demonstrated" Quan hissed. "I can't seem to fathom a reason why"

"I agree" Xun said in a clear defined voice. "I also understand now the consequences of my assault on the Wei affiliate and I do apologize for _that_" He felt Lu Meng tense behind him, but he disregarded it. "Although, I do not apologize for my motive—Protecting someone important to me"

Quan heaved a sigh of aggravation. "You must be referring to my niece" He replied through gritted teeth. "Unfortunately, she is not yours to protect. What happens in her life is none of your concer—"

"I beg to differ" Xun retorted before Quan had even finished his sentence. "Everything about _her_ is _my_ concern"

Just then, Lady Wu entered quietly, but none noticed.

"Xun!" Meng growled in a loud whisper, grasping Xun's arm tightly. "What in the hell are doing?! This is your freedom you're gambling with! Stop disrespecting him!"

Xun shook Meng's hand off, glowering at him. "I am aware of the penalties" was his vague, nonchalant reply.

Lady Wu cracked a tiny grin, impressed by Xun's fearless and somewhat reckless demeanor.

"Sun Xuan is my brother's daughter and one of my family" Quan's voice boomed "Upon my brothers unfortunate death, Xuan's life was placed into my hands. I will not tolerate this insolence!" He was standing now, shouting furiously, unlike Xun, who was completely composed.

"The way Xuan's life has been handled thus far is the only thing intolerable" Xun hissed "Lord Ce would be appalled"

"How dare you?!" Quan growled, threatening to assault the young general himself.

"Enough!" Lady Wu sauntered forward, her expression completely unreadable.

"Mother?" Quan beckoned, sitting again. "What are you doing here?"

"Conserving order" She replied, clasping her hands in front of her. She glanced at Xun, flashing a small smile of compassion. She turned to Quan now. "I assume you realize the growing disdain in you is completely pointless"

"…" Quan furrowed his brow. "I suppose"

"Excellent" She replied, turning to Xun and beamed a smile again. "Might I request a private conversation with you?"

"Absolutely" Xun retorted, following the Dowager out of the throne room, leaving a sullen emperor and a stricken general.

"My, how stunned I was" Lady Wu chortled, when they came into an empty corridor. "I had considered that you had lost your mind when you assaulted that Wei Prince"

Xun slumped with exasperation. "I do apologize for attacking him"

"Yes, for that, but not for your actual purpose. Yes, I know" She replied, positioning herself before I wide window, overlooking the mountains on the horizon. "I sensed that my granddaughter and you had an attraction for one another, no doubt I expected it"

"You did?" Xun replied obliviously.

"Indeed, I also anticipated that terrible things would come of it" She added, turning to him with a melancholy frown. "But worse is yet to come"

"Why is that?"

"Cao Jin, what a _snake_ that one is. A deceitful serpent. I know he has something planned, something _dreadful._ Something that will affect both Wei and Wu" She said with reluctant certainty in her voice. She leaned in towards him. "Be cautious"

"And Xuan?"

"She's priority" She paused, looking about them. "Even _his_"

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**Srry** **for the dinky ending. It's 11:00 and I just wanted to submit this! Finally I'm done! Plz enjoy! –Falls over, snoring- -lol- **


	13. Relinquish the past, Embrace the future

**Hallelujah! My own comp! WOOT! It's in my room now instead of the living room where everyone is, so I can work alone with distractions! It was a pain in the neck to put together, count on that one! Alright, _hopefully_ chappies will come sooner and it's Winter Break so that's good too. 'Kay, time for chapter 13! ENJOY and review of course! **

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_**Chapter 13 **_

_**Relinquish the past, Embrace the future**_

Dusk, the Wei Palace. Sun Xuan's temporary bedroom…

The interior of the Wei palace turned out to resemble the Wu palace in many ways. To Sun Xuan's dazzled surprise, it wasn't as difficult as she anticipated to navigate herself around the huge building. Although Cao Jin, her haughty fiancé by force, insisted that she have an escort for assistance and in protection.

Xuan sat stoically on the edge the large bed. She observed her surroundings that would serve her as a quiet haven from everything… at least for a little while. It was on the fourth floor and like much of the palace; the wooden floors were made of sleek genuine Maple wood that reflected everything in the room on its glossy surface. The bed was covered in a cotton woven thick blue blanket that Xuan wanted to disappear under. The door was across from the bed and there was a blue screen next to it.

The large window was on the western wall and overlooked the horse pasture where stable boys were grooming and washing the large, powerful animals even at this time of night. That was it. The room wasn't at all cozy like Xuan's previous one in Wu, but it served its purpose—a small place, a box where solitude and tranquility kept her company.

But this room was all but everlasting. It was only until the wedding ceremony—her wedding, the day she dreaded most of all. Although she didn't know when it was, she was certain it was soon. No doubt it would take place in Wei, so Xuan would be alone to agonize in despair while everyone else celebrated. Especially Cao Jin himself.

It was hard to describe and understand Jin. When Xuan first 'met' him he seriously hurt her. Then he requests to marry her and who does he ask? Her mother, the empress of submission—Her father, Sun Ce, wouldn't have surrendered her so easily, but by the time Jin appeared Ce was gone. Despite his sexual implications recently—like sleeping on top her in the carriage on the journey to Wei and assaulting her earlier that day— he seemed to care, in his own way of course. He saved her from bandits that would have loved to have her and he warned her of spiteful people in Wei, but forgot to include himself.

It was hard to give him a category or a word to describe him. Although Xuan could tolerate being near him now, there was something she would never forgive him of— raping her. 'Rape' what a nasty word. It made Xuan want to gag at the thought. She let the thought slip from her mind and let her head drift back onto the pillow. Sweet silence…

"Good Evening!" Came a loud shrill from someone barreling through the door. Xuan shot up in alarm. The intruder was a young girl, maybe thirteen of fourteen, standing in the middle of the room with a wide smile. Her shoulder length ebony hair was pulled into two high pigtails. Her eyes were also dark pools of ebony. Her face was beautiful, round and innocent, but it was easily obvious that she was a nuisance.

"G-good evening?" Xuan muttered.

"What's with the astounded look?" The peppy girl asked, hands on hips and smiling with glee. "Did I scare you?"

"…Um…I suppose a little" Xuan said, standing. "Hello, I'm Sun Xuan"

"Cao Li" She chirped, hugging her abruptly. "I'm glad you finally came! I've been waiting!"

Xuan peered at the girl's sweet face and noticed Jin's beautiful features in hers. _'A Cao, indeed' _

"Hello Li, you look much like Cao Jin, are you related?"

"Yes! He's my half-brother" Li chimed pleasantly "We have the same dad—the emperor—My mom isn't lady Zhen Ji though. My mom is Lady Gao, we moved in just recently"

"Interesting, it seems we both are quite similar" Xuan laughed.

"Uh huh" Li nodded, her pigtails bouncing along with her nod. "I've been waiting…" Li's sweet smile fell now into a gloomy frown. "…For someone who wouldn't scold me" Li gazed at her feet.

Xuan reached for her cute melancholy face. "What's wr—"

"Li" Both girls turned to see Cao Jin standing in the door way with a neutral expression. Li's face brightened.

"Jin!" Li exclaimed with laughter as she sauntered forward to hug him. To Xuan's surprise, he accepted her embrace, but only for a moment before pushing away.

"Go now, your mother is searching for you" Jin stated with a bored tone, looking down at her with the same unbiased expression.

"Okay!" Li turned to Xuan now. "Bye bye Xuanie! I'll see you tomorrow, I can't wait!" With that the perky girl disappeared through the door, her loud laughter's trailing behind her.

"The ceremony?" Xuan murmured while Jin walked into the room, closing the door behind him. His sweet face intensified by the light of the candles. He stepped towards her, taking her hands in his, closing his eyes and gently kissing them.

"Don't concern yourself with the wedding now" He murmured in a charming whisper that lulled her like a lullaby. "It is late, you must sleep"

"When is it?" Xuan asked in a demanding voice, disregarding his suggestion. He gazed at her face with dark reluctant eyes and a frown. "I-I really want to know" Xuan said in an innocent tone, giving him an angelic smile that was irresistible even to him.

"It's in a week" Jin replied in defeat returning his own strikingly beautiful smile, Xuan's own angelic grin instantly fell.

"A-a week?" Xuan choked at the word in astonishment. "That's kind of early, isn't it?"

Jin kissed her palm once more and let her hands fall back to her sides before turning and going towards the window. "No, we can't afford to wait" His voice was sinister and firm. "The quicker things move, the quicker…" His voice trailed off as if he couldn't find the words or perhaps didn't want to voice them.

"I…I don't understand what you mean" Xuan admitted, stepping towards him. She then realized that she wasn't at all afraid of being alone with him. _That_ frightened her.

"Good" He murmured so quietly that it was almost inaudible. He looked towards her, his eyes glowing in the candle light. A wide, frightful grin spread across his face. "You shouldn't"

"…" Xuan gazed into his eyes, speechless and mystified. He walked towards her and grasped a lone fluttering lock of hair and admired it.

"Enough talking" He muttered, tucking the deep brown lock behind Xuan's ear. "It's late and the next few days are important, you must rest" He leaned towards and gently kissed her on the cheek, Xuan stiffened. He kept his face close to hers. "I can't wait"

Abruptly, he turned to the door, looking over his shoulder. "Good night" He let himself out and closed the door behind him and he was gone.

Sun Xuan was still standing there long after Jin had left, lost in her reverie. She knew the wedding was soon, but not _that_ soon. Her shaky legs caused her fall back onto the bed. She was suddenly tired; exhausted maybe because of the anxiety the next few days would bring or knowing that this was it. Wei was here home now and Wu was the past; a figment drifting into the faint eternity of her memory along with everything and everyone with it. Why deny it any longer? Wu and Lu Xun were the past and Wei and Cao Jin were now the future. It was time to relinquish the past and embrace the future…

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Meanwhile, the Wu palace…

"This is crazy, Lu Xun!"

"I know"

"Geez, I think that girl has gotten to your head. I mean this is insane! It'll never work!"

"Ning, have my plans ever failed?"

"Well…no…But that's not the point! Xun, Infiltrating the Wei palace during a ceremony, when everyone is watching is crazy. That's one of the worst times to assault someone, while everyone is watching"

"Quite the contrary actually, you'd think that night is when they're the least prepared. But they expect someone to attack them then, many armies attack an enemy at night and have failed, because their enemy anticipated them"

"So how is running in there in broad daylight and causing a commotion any better?!"

"A lot better, the entire kingdom will be occupied with the wedding ceremony. Although they will be prepared for any sudden attacks, they won't concern themselves with every little soul walking into the capital"

"I still don't get it, Xun"

"You're so dull, Gan Ning:"

"What'd you say?!"

"Nevermind, according to Zhou Yu we only have a week to get to the Wei capital. So listen, the Imperial guards will allow invited lower class citizens into the ceremony to witness the wedding first hand"

"So we're going to be peasants?"

"You're quick. We must keep low profile, it's very simple actually. But there's one problem; Invitations"

"We steal, duh"

"I suppose there's no other way, but we have to leave tonight to get there in time…"

"Alright, I guess I'll help. But if we get caught, Xun, I'm beating the hell outta you!"

"…Thanks?"

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**It's shorter than usual, but oh well. The last part was sorta confusing, but the conversation was all that mattered. Srry if there are any errors, it's late. –Yawn- Bye! **


	14. Calm Before the Storm

**Hello Every1! Before we get to chapter 14, I got a question. Does any1 no what's up with the mail sender thingy at FFN? I went under story stats and I had 3 reviews(Thanx 4 the reviews forgetmenot45, EverKitsune, and Paupu!) but nothing has been sent to my mailbox…and it's been a week, I hope they fix it soon. Anyways here's chapter14! Enjoy! **

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**_Chapter 14 _**

_**Calm Before the Storm **_

Afternoon. Three days later, outside the Wei territory, the main road…

"Okay, _that_ is a _Wei_ territory entry post" Ning explained in a mock tone to Lu Xun, pointing to the outpost building where the Wei guards had yet noticed them. "_We_ are _Wu_ generals. Now, why in the hell would _they_ let _us_ inside?!"

"Relax already" Xun sighed waving a hand at Ning's fuming behavior before rummaging through a saddle bag. "It's very simple to fool them"

Traveling for three days non-stop on horse back was exhausting enough for Xun without the pirates endless complaining. First, he protested about escaping Wu in the dead of night—the easiest part. Then, he complained that the stable workers would report them to Sun Quan—two young, timid stable boys in the intimidating presence of the emperor when he was angry? Xun was certain that wouldn't happen. Ning was obtuse enough criticized that the horses they rode were to slow.

"Maybe I should have brought Lu Meng instead…" Xun mumbled regrettably to himself.

"WHY?! AM I NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO HELP?!" Ning exploded, nearly falling off his steed.

"Quiet, they'll hear you!" Xun scowled, glancing to the Wei outpost finding the few soldiers lounging about lazily, completely oblivious.

"Fine, what do we do to get by them?" Ning growled, glaring at Xun.

"I wrote this letter and signed it under Lord Quan's signature" Xun explained, holding up a piece of parchment and pointing to Quan's name at the bottom. "I wrote a phony message to the emperor in the small chance they want to read it. All you have to do is follow my lead, understand?"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it"

"Excellent, let's go" Xun commanded, ordering his bay steed into a smooth trot out of the brush in a where they were hiding with Ning following. They were but a few feet away when the soldiers noticed them, raged at the sour site of Wu officials.

"Stop!" One shouted, unsheathing his small sword that gave the generals no fear. "State the nature of your appearance here?" he demanded.

"Greetings gentlemen" Xun mused, making Ning want to gag. "We have a letter for your emperor from Lord Quan, please if you will, allow us to deliver this message to his Lord Cao Pi" Xun said, flashing a sincere smile and holding up the document, revealing the Wu insignia in the corner of the parchment.

The soldier hesitated with a harsh scowl.

"Please, it's urgent" Xun assured them with a furtive, convincing tone.

The soldier finally sighed. "Very well" He murmured reluctantly. "You may proceed, but you have not long, the ceremony will take place in a few days. Don't get any odd ideas to disrupt the peace or Lord Jin will have your heads. You best respect him"

"Of course, you needn't worry" Xun assured them, urging his horse through the opened gate. Ning gave the stricken soldiers a smug smirk as he passed them by.

The main road towards the Wei capital became a resounding clatter under the horses galloping hooves. Ning and Xun directed the horses off the main road and into the dense thicket of the forest and out of the view of any those passing by.

"Smooth, Xun, but I think you could have done it without kissin' up" Ning said in a mock tone, laughing bitterly. Xun appeared to be ignoring him, sitting motionless upon the horse. "Hey, what's with the silent treatment?!"

"When that guard spoke of Jin" Xun spoke in an icy tone "and dare told me to _respect_ him, it made me so _annoye_d"

"Yeah, I wanted to beat the hell outta the little freak too" Ning said _trying_ to be comforting. "But save your anger for Jin himself"

"Yes" Xun murmured with sinister candidness. "At any rate, I won't have that chance unless we get into the capital in time. The next step is acquiring invitations, but first…" he paused to rummage through another large saddle bag and revealing a mass frail patched clothing, tossing it to Ning who looked down at it halfhearted.

"If we're going to act like commoners" Xun avowed in a devious tone "then we must look like commoners"

"Great" Ning growled in sarcasm, rolling his eyes and dismounting his horse to change into his new clothing.

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Meanwhile, the Wei palace. A random hallway on the first floor…

Sun Xuan paced slowly around the halls without anything to do and glad that she could escape her pesky escort for awhile. The past few days since she arrived and went quickly, spent mostly with the spunky teenager, Cao Li—Li being her favorite Cao so far. The girl had an abundant amount of supplied energy and apparently had been holding it in until her new friend arrived. Li took them horse-back riding, swimming, and sparring—Xuan realized she was a quite capable with a sword in her hands. Nonetheless, she was beyond exhausted.

It had been days since her arrival and Xuan had yet meet any of the Wei generals—perhaps they didn't _want_ to meet her. Maybe it was better that way. Even the emperor—her father-in-law to be—had still not found it convenient to become acquainted to her. It was alright though, she was sure he was very busy.

"You must be Sun Xuan" A lovely feminine voice startled her from behind.

"Hmn?" Xuan turned to the new voice—a beautiful woman who looked only a few years older than Xuan. She had a figure that would suit and angel and a round face. Her hair was a deep brown and pulled into a high ponytail that extended to her waist. Although her face was kind her eyes were mystifying, perilous like a tiger's. She wore a gold head dress that resembled a swan Xuan presumed and she wore a full blue dress that was embroidered with black lace. The sleeves were cut off at the shoulder and then reattached a few inches above her elbows. No doubt, this woman was royalty.

"I apologize, I had no intention on startling you" The woman said apologetically.

"Oh, no, it's alright" Xuan assured her, smiling widely. "Pleased to meet you"

"Likewise, I'm Zhen Ji—Cao Jin's mother"

"T-the empress…" Xuan's voice was tiny. She was quick to bow. Regardless of her resemblance to Cao Jin, she had a compassionate face.

"No, there's no need for that" Ji laughed, waving a hand at Xuan. "From now on, we're equals"

"Um…Okay"

Zhen Ji laughed her lovely angelic laugh again. "My, you are a timid one. I suppose that saying is true—opposites do attract, ha ha. You are something special if you got to Jin's thick heart"

Xuan faked a laugh. Despite the empress's intelligent demeanor, she thought Xuan was in _love_ with Jin. Actually, Xuan didn't know what to call their relationship anymore…

"Well, since Jin isn't permitted to see you this close to the wedding, I suppose you've been alone lately" Ji proposed, crossing her arms. "Did he even bother to show you around first? Stubborn boy"

"No, but Cao Li showed me around" Xuan said, clasping her hands in front of her. "Your palace is lovely"

"Oh, you met _her_, did you?" Ji's voice was icy and disdainful. She glared at the wall next to her before looking back at Xuan with a cautious expression now. "Xuan, you must know that there are many dangers here, more than there probably are in Wu. Please, just watch yourself"

"What do you mean?"

"But you needn't worry any" Ji smiled warmly "You'll have Jin protecting you"

'_Comforting' _Xuan thought, smiling diligently. "I'll be fine"

"Good, well I must go" Ji said regretfully "I'm sorry we can't spend mush time together, but I shall see you before the wedding" She bowed and turned to walk away. She had only made a few steps when Xuan called out to her.

"Will I…" Xuan hesitated as Ji turned back to her, waiting. "Will I have a chance…to meet the emperor?"

Zhen Ji stared back at her for a moment with a frown before it turned into a wide smirk. "Don't be so eager" With that she stalked off leaving Xuan bewildered and perplexed.

"There you are, Lady Xuan!" Came the raspy voice of her escort—A middle aged man in blue clad. He dashed towards her, panting. "You shouldn't run from me like that. Lord Jin will be livid if something happened to you!"

"We wouldn't want _that_, would we?"

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Late Afternoon, the Wei palace. First floor conference room…

The tiny room was stirring with tension and the determination that the ceremony would go without failure. Cao Jin glared down at the blueprints of the ceremony that could take place in the heart of the Wei capital, Xu Chang.

"…and I want a soldier at every corner of every building of the city. If any _unwanted guests_ find a way inside the ceremony it will be your blood that is spilt"

"Y-yes sir" The soldiers stammered as they scurried out in fear of the prince's wrath.

"As for you two…" Jin growled, turning his head towards the Wei general, Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun—two dedicated and powerful generals. Jin turned to them, arms crossed. "There is a specific individual that may be a threat to the plans; I want you two to watch for him during the ceremony"

"Yes, sir" both said in unison, bowing heads.

"Sir, if I may ask" Dun began, narrowing his eyes on Jin. "Lady Xuan, you have spoken of her importance to us, but what is her ultimate significance?"

A spiteful smirk spread across Jin's face, he then clasped his hands behind his back and turned away from them. "A valid question, general, and I will tell you—it's no shocking reason"

Cao Jin placed a hand gently on the ceremony blueprints before going to the window and continuing. "Wu, as I'm sure you know, isn't as impulsive as us. Conquest for our benefit will be much easier without the threat of Wu. They won't dare attack us with the chance that their precious princess could also be affected, will they?"

"But sir" Xiahou Yuan protested. "Sun Quan ordered the death of Liu Bei _and his own sister_ to regained Jing from Shu"

"Indeed, you're correct, but are not Liu Bei and the Lady Shang Xiang still alive? And is not Jing still under the control of Shu? I've even heard rumor that Sun Quan was scolded by his mother for even suggesting the death of Lady Sun. Even though they attempted to go through with the plan, the officers sent to kill them were webbed by their own conscience to disobey their emperor than kill the Lady Sun. They would rather Liu Bei, their enemy, _live_ than have Shang Xiang die. Understand my point?"

"Yes, but—"

"The officers _died_ at the hands of Sun Quan for not killing their enemies" Jin snapped before the two generals could protest. "They died protecting someone they love instead of killing someone they hate. Wu is made of nothing but cowards, _do you understand?_"

"Yes sir" Both said in unison, defeated.

"With Xuan under my power I can control Wu in any way I please" Jin said with ambition, proud of his accomplishment.

"But…" Jin turned to them now, a frown before continuing "There is still someone who will stop at nothing—even at his own kingdoms possible demise. He do everything in his power to stop us and he could be the biggest threat to everything we've worked for if not stopped" Jin slammed his fists on the table before him and let his contempt raise his voice, until it felt like the entire earth was quaking "He will try to disrupt the ceremony and if he does, it could cause great turmoil or even Xuan's escape! He wants her back, but you must stop him! You must! _I want him dead_!"

"Sir" Xuan muttered under the prince's fury. "What is his name?"

There was a pause, as Jin glared down at the ceremony blueprints.

"...His name… is Lu Xun"

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**Whoa, I enjoyed writing the ending of this chappie! I love how Cao Jin was getting all pissed. I wrote the ending while listening to the soundtrack of Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, I think it helped a lot. –lol- well, anyways I think you'll like the next chappie! Finally the wedding everyone's been talking about is here and I'll leave it you all to guess what happens next! L8ER! **

**NoTe: The parts about Sun Quan ordering Liu Bei and SSX dead and all that is straight from the book. I don't own that data! **


	15. Li Xian, the Tiny Blessing

**Here's chapter 15! Enjoy! XD READ AND REVIEW I COMMAND YOU –lol- **

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_**Chapter 15 **_

_**Li Xian, the Tiny Blessing**_

Early morning before the Ceremony, the Wei palace. Xuan's chambers…

"Wakie WAKIE, Xuanie!" Cao Li squealed as she burst through the door. Xuan shot up in her bed where she _was_ sleeping peacefully until awakened, trying to keep from screaming.

Xuan, after realizing it was just Cao Li, rubbed her eyes groggily. "Wha…What time is it?"

"It's just before sunrise" Li said, sauntered into the room as several handmaids bustled in after her. Xuan groaned as she opened her eyes and found the maids lighting torches on the wall and no sun light beaming in through the open window.

"Wha?! The sun's not even up yet!" Xuan bellowed, pointing to the window.

"Tch, duh! I said before sunrise!" Li scoffed, scrambling towards Xuan who had nestled back into the comfort of her bed. Li grasped one of her arms and started pulling her from the bed, but Xuan held tightly onto the bedpost. "No no, Xuanie! You can't sleep! You have to get dressed! Get up! Get up!"

"Let her go, Li" The empress, Zhen Ji told her step-daughter in an icy voice as she appeared in the room. Obediently, but reluctantly Li let her go. Xuan sat up herself when she heard the empress's voice.

"There are easier ways to waking someone without _ripping_ their limbs off" Ji said, crossing her arms and scowling.

"RIPPING IS FUN!" Li cried leaping onto the bed and jumping up and down, her pigtails bouncing with her as she laughed all the while.

Sun Xuan stood from her bed that was being pummeled by the zany girl. Xuan sighed in exasperation. "Is today the ceremony?"

"Yes" Ji replied only half-attentive as she was already instructing random handmaids about what to do first which was Xuan's bath. "But you can't go to the ceremony looking like _that_" She gestured to Xuan's tousled night clothes and unkempt bed-hair.

"Wee!" Li screeched, jumping off the bed, tripping over her own feet, and falling on her face. "OCHIE!" She whined, sitting up.

"What a dunce" Ji sighed, stalking over to Li. "Li, take Xuan to the bath house and hurry up. Cao Jin isn't supposed to see her yet"

"Oookay!" Li jumped to her feet and grabbed Xuan's hand. "C'mon, bath time!" With that, Li bolted from the room, pulling Xuan behind her. Well, basically Xuan's feet weren't even touching the ground.

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Sunrise, the Wei territory. Outside the capital, next to the main road…

"Alright, Xun, the annoying itchy clothes; Okay. The sleeping outside on rocks and sticks; I tolerate. But waking up at the time I would normally be going to sleep; now that's just sick" Gan Ning complained like he'd been doing since they'd left the Wu palace a week before.

"And you call yourself a Wu general" Xun scoffed, tying his horse to a tree that was obscured from view of the main road. "Besides save you complaining for when you need it"

"Make it sound like I should be afraid" Ning laughed, leaning on his horse "Me? Afraid of what?"

"Once a certain princess finds out you're causing mischief, you'll have some explaining to do, won't you?"

Gan Ning's arrogant expression fell into a fearful gape. "Shang Xiang! How the hell am I gonna get outta this one?!"

"Worry about her later. The ceremony is at midday. It's sunrise now and invited guests should be coming at anytime" Xun said, glancing through the trees at the empty main road.

"Are these 'guests' like royalty or something?" Ning asked while adjusting his oversized shirt. "Why would Jin want all these peasants inside the capital?"

"Well, there are already peasants inside the capital, but the people coming inside are people who served the palace at one time or another"

It was a few minutes before the two heard the sound of horse hooves clattering against the stone paved road. It was a semi-clean white stallion leading a small carriage towards the palace. Sitting nonchalantly in the front of the carriage, was a young boy holding the reins of the whining horse.

"This is where we get our invitations" Xun murmured to Ning, who nodded and stepped lightly on the leafy ground.

He let the carriage pass them by, until the driver could no longer see them from the sides. Ning scrambled silently to the back of the carriage and leaped onto the wooden bumper and climbed onto the top. He peered over the front; the driver hadn't taken heed to anything and was now whistling to himself. Reaching for the boys throat, Ning was able to render him unconscious by attacking a pressure point in his neck.

Grasping the reins from the unconscious driver, Ning pulled the horse to a halt. He took the drivers place in the seat and let the boys collapse on his lap. "Well that was easy"

"Hey!" Ning glanced to his side and found a semi-rich man dressed in the ugliest velvet suit glaring at him. It must have been whoever was inside the carriage and was startled when his horse suddenly stopped. "Who the hell are you?! And what are you doing with my—"

Taking a sharp blow to the head, the man fell to the ground. Lu Xun was standing behind him with one of his swords in hand. Taking a hit from the butt of a sword isn't at all pleasant.

Xun sighed and scowled up at the pirate. "You almost ruined everything for being a showoff"

"Really? I thought I did pretty well" Ning said, lifting the boy over his shoulder. "So what do we do with these guys?"

"Take them somewhere and hide them. By the time they wake, we'll long gone" Xun explained, going towards the carriage's door and rummaging inside while Ning quickly dragged both the boy and the terribly dressed man to the woods where he tied them to a tree.

On the wooden seat, Xun found one invitation.

"Alright, since there's only one" He began as Ning came towards him. "One of us is going to have to be the carriage driver. I wasn't planning on taking the carriage but they won't let us both in unless we bring it"

"I want to be the in the carriage!" Ning cried, grabbing Xun's arm and pulling him out of the carriage and climbing inside in his stead. Xun stood up from where he was thrown and brushed himself off.

"You didn't need to be so forceful about it" He turned back and found Ning nestled into the seat with a bottle of wine that he'd found. Xun sighed and handed him the invitation. "When we reach the gates of the capital, the guard will ask for the invitation. Just look out the window and give it to him, please don't say anything. They'll let me pass because I'm leading the carriage. Understand?"

"Sure sure" Ning replied, interested only in the bottle of wine.

Lu Xun shook his head in pity and climbed onto the driver's bench. The horse whined and cantered towards the palace.

Time had passed painfully slow for the young strategist ever since Xuan had left. It was hard to imagine how Xuan herself felt about it all. He feared what had happened to her over the past days and what would happen if his plan failed. He only prayed she knew how much he really cared for her and it was only a matter of time before he could prove it.

It only took an hour or so to get to the large stone gates, where a commotion was already at an up rise. There were many people arriving on foot and others in carriages. The guards at the gates were imperial guards dressed much more valiantly than those at the outpost building. The rather long line of invited guests gradually began to diminish and soon it was their turn. Xun was certain the soldier couldn't recognize him, but still he kept his head low as the carriage stopped next the soldier.

The soldier went to the window of the carriage and peered inside. "Sir, please show your invitation"

Gan Ning, who had engulfed the entire bottle of wine, had forgotten everything before taking that first sip of wine. He glanced over at the soldier with bloodshot eyes.

"Er…Sir?" The soldier knitted a brow in perplexity.

"What?! What?! What do you want?!" Ning growled, leaning out the window in the soldier's face.

"Oh no" Xun murmured under his breath, looking back in horror. "He wants the invitation, um, sir" Xun explained, pretending to act casual as the drunken Ning glanced between him and the soldier, who was literally cowering at this point.

"Oh…that" Ning said apologetically, he then ducked back into the carriage and searched for the document. "Where did I put that…I've got it!" He returned and leaned out the window again, holding the piece of paper in the air for all to see. "See?! I've got it!"

Xun put his hand over his face wishing he would disappear. _'Of all times for you to get drunk, why now?'_

"Um, thank you, sir" The soldier said, taking the invitation. He quickly waved them forward with one hand. "Y-you can go in. Please enjoy the ceremony"

Once inside, Xun directed the horse towards the wall before getting down and going to the cabin of the carriage. Opening the door, he found Gan Ning talking sweetly to the wine bottle.

"Ning, come on" Xun whispered, glancing over his shoulder for any watchers. "Ning!" He shouted again when the pirate either ignored him or didn't hear him at all and went on talking to his wine bottle.

"What?!" Ning chided, glaring at him. "Can't you see I'm busy?!"

"Ning, wooing an inanimate object isn't considered a healthy thing"

"Hey, I don't criticize your hobbies"

"Yes you do" Xun objected, recalling times when Ning would lecture him to stop reading his precious books. "Hurry up, the ceremony is about to start"

"You go, I'll meet you there" Ning excused, waving a hand at him. Xun sighed in frustration and stalked off.

Apparently, the heart of the capital was where the ceremony would take place. Servants and soldiers alike were bustling about directing people and quickly putting up decorations. Horse wagons were being stopped from passing through and redirected through another route. Since there were so many people and not enough seats to accommodate all the guests were to stand and there was already complaining on that matter.

"Sir" A soldier called, walking up to Xun. "Please follow the crowd to the guest area. The ceremony will begin in an hour or so"

Nodding, Xun followed an immense crowd into a large courtyard in the center of the city where many relaxed people were already waiting. All wore there best apparel even if they were out of style and tacky. Like his. There was a long velvet carpet spread down the center of the large courtyard. The guests were wary not to tread on it. At the end of the carpeted path was a rising altar. Long blue silk scarves dangled from each column that were splayed sparsely around the courtyard. From the windows of the tall surrounding buildings, people—probably servants—stood with baskets full of white rose pedal that would be dropped during the ceremony.

Moving around the robust crowd, Xun searched for a suitable place to wait when he noticed to people standing impatiently by a far off column. One was rather stout and bearded, the meaner looking of the two and the other seemed more tolerant and had a black eye patch over his left eye. They were renowned generals of the Wei army and apparently playing guard. They were glancing in various directions until the larger mans eyes fell on the young Wu practitioner.

Averting his eyes, Xun was certain they were awaiting any intruders such as him. Staring at them wouldn't be the smartest thing. Deciding this not to be a appropriate spot, Xun turned to a nearby alley. To his surprise, there were no soldiers guarding the alley as it lead to market place.

People flurried about without noticing him. Merchants had the wears stacked against both sides of the building walls and trying futilely to sell their probably worthless products.

"Sir!" One of them called, scurrying up to Xun. "Would you like to buy?" he asked frantically. His face was very gaunt and his hand portrayed how unnourished his body was. As a general, Xun saw this kind of adversity all the time and it was heartbreaking.

"Well…" Xun murmured cautiously, preparing to turn him down when he noticed a small girl slumped against the wall a little further down the alleyway. Her face, as well slightly gaunt, was angelic and modest. Her messy ebony hair was tied chaotically into a high pigtail. She was dressed in a tattered dress, far more tattered than his. She was gazing up at every face that walked by, all ignoring her. Xun turned back to the merchant, who was selling pieces of bread.

"Fine" He concluding handing the seller a gold coin he'd been carrying. Gleefully, the merchant handed him a surprisingly large piece of bread.

Having time to kill, Xun ambled towards the girl who was now glaring at the stony ground.

"Hello" Xun cooed, leaning towards her. Apparently startled, the girl was prepared to run away when she noticed the bread in his hand. Now she seemed hesitant, glancing between the incognito general and the food, obviously starved.

"Are you hungry?" He asked the obvious, holding up the bread before giving it to her. Still hesitant, she took at cautiously and nibbling at it while watching him closely.

"Where are your parents?" Xun asked, smiling tenderly. The child paused and moved the food away from her mouth.

"…I don't know…" She replied to his surprise. "I don't see them"

Considering that she was talking, Xun decided that she had accepted his company and leaned his back against the wall. "I understand, I didn't see my parents often either"

At loss of words, the girl gazed up at him.

"What is your name?"

"Li Xian" She replied after a moment before going back to her bread.

Opening his mouth to reveal his own identity, Xun noticed someone appearing from the alleyway from the corner of his eye. It was the two generals from earlier. They had probably been discussing if it was he they were searching for and apparently decided so. They looked around for a moment while Xun turned back to Li Xian, who was already gazing at him with perplexity.

"I'm sorry" he said apologetically "I'm afraid that I must go" With that he stood and walked in the opposite directions of the generals leaving Li Xian in confusion. That was the first person in her young life who had shown her sympathy and she knew something was wrong as the two generals came stomping by.

They'd seen him and he could hear the loud foot steps behind him. From what he could infer, Cao Jin had anticipated a possible assault on the ceremony and sent the two to thwart it. It was apparent that he wasn't getting out of this without a fight.

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Meanwhile, outside the Wei palace, Sun Xuan's POV…

I stared at the carriage furtively, the carriage that would be taking me to the ceremony in the center of the capital.

It was almost time.

By the end of this day I wouldn't be single or for that matter, _free._ But I can't say that I was all miserable. I was scared, but I had accepted this fate. I had accepted it all. Of course, Cao Jin was happy or from what I heard. I hadn't seen him for days, but Lady Zhen Ji and Cao Li told me he was quite pleased. From what I had been taught at boarding school, that's all that matters—_his_ happiness. Surprisingly, my mothers lectures are strangely starting to make since or maybe it's just something I ate.

I was incredulous when I laid eyes on my wedding dress. It was off white with modest black spots and made almost entirely of Falcon feathers. It was strapless and tight fitting. Around the halter was huge feathers sewn into the fabric. It was skin tight until it reached my waist where it fanned out all around me. Right in the front of the skirt it was cut just below my waist and sliced all the way down. The long sleeves were also made of Falcon feathers but it wasn't connected to the dress. There were straps that were buckled around my forearms, below my shoulders, to keep the sleeves from sliding off. It was all impressive overall. It took forever to get into though.

"Are you ready?" I heard a voice from behind. I turned to meet the face of a very peculiar person, Zhang He. I had met him a few days ago in the dance room and I had to admit, I had never met an individual like this one. If he were wearing a shirt the day I met him and with the way he spoke and looked, he would have fooled me for a woman and not a bad looking one either.

"Oh yes, thank you" I replied.

"Might I add, you look exquisite" He cooed, giving a low bow. "Simply _beautiful_"

Was it just me, or did he use that word a lot?

"Thank you" I laughed again. "Lord Zhang He, are you going to be there?"

"I'm afraid not, My Lady" He sighed apologetically, holding his arm to his forehead like he was damsel in distress "I am needed elsewhere, please forgive me"

"Oh, no that's quite alright" I reassured him, holding my hands up.

"I'm glad. I shall see you when you return" He cooed, kissing my hand formally and bowing before walking back towards the palace.

"Your highness, it's time to go" A servant said, holding the carriage door open. I sighed in reluctance and climbed inside.

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Back at the market place…

Now backed into a corner, Xun was running out of plans. The two general, Xiahou Dun and Yuan, were now holding large blades in their hands. They had followed him all the way down the alley way

"Our Lord Cao Jin has been expecting you" Dun sneered, pointing his blade at the young Wu general. "If you hadn't acted so shifty, we might have not even suspected you"

"Too bad" Yuan laughed malevolently. "Jin will be pleased when he finds out that the rat he's been worried about has finally been exterminated"

"I guess it'll a shame if I were to escape" Xun warned with a furtive expression. Yuan laughed heartily, nearly dropping his sword.

"Enough" Dun chided, stalking towards Xun, cradling the blade in the air. "It's time for you to die"

_Thump_. A small rock crashed against Dun's head. Stunned at first, Dun and Yuan whipped around to find a little girl with an arm full of rocks. She glared at them completely unafraid. Lu Xun heart fell when he saw her standing there, he could at least defend himself, but she was completely helpless against them. Well almost.

"Leave him alone!" Li Xian cried, launching another stone, which crashed into Yuan's face who double-backed.

"What the hell are you doing, ya little brat?!" Yuan bellowed, rubbing his face. Li Xian cringed at first but stood her ground. Dun glanced at Xun and then at Yuan.

"Kill the girl, I'll take care of him" He ordered, turning back to Xun.

"Gladly" Yuan laughed, beginning to approach the defiant girl. Li Xian cringed, dropping the remaining rocks and beginning to back away. Xun had to act quickly or he'd be responsible for the death of an innocent child. If he hadn't spoken to her she wouldn't be here.

Suddenly, a gleaming blade was held over his head. Just as it was brought down, Xun ducked and parried to the side, successful in escaping Dun and leaving him astounded. He advanced towards Yuan, who had grasped Xian's arm to keep her from evading. His blade was being held to her throat when Yuan took a sharp blow to the face from Xun's elbow. He cried out in shock and agony while Xun grasped Xian's hand and pulled her quickly back down the alleyway. He heard the two generals shouting after and he knew that they would only come looking for them again.

It was then when he noticed a tremendous stack to wooden boxes at the moth of the alley. If his new idea went accordingly, he would be able to when himself freedom and keep the Wei generals from squealing to Cao Jin.

He went to the base of the huge stack of boxes while biding Xian to hide out of the way. He then began to kick one of the boxes at the bottom of the huge pile and it budged instantly. He noticed the generals regrouping and heading towards him. He kicked it harder and freed the box, sending an avalanche of wooden boxes crashing onto the generals. Both were completely covered by heavy boxes and had to be either unconscious or extremely stuck, especially if Yuan fell on Dun.

Xian scurried up to Xun and clasped her tiny hands in his. "Good job!" She laughed.

"Yes, but you shouldn't have done that" Xun scolded her with false anger. "You could have been killed"

Xian frowned and nodded. Xun wasn't angry though, he knew if it weren't for her he could have been killed himself. He finally sighed and thanked her, which made her giggle in excitement.

Suddenly, there was a commotion from a smaller alleyway nearby. Xun defended Xian protectively, but nonchalantly shook his head in disgust when he found out who it was.

"Hold…on, Xun!" Ning bellowed, holding up a twig high in the air in one hand and hugging the wine bottle tightly to him with the other. "I will s-save you!" He turned to a perplexed bystander and held the bottle out to him. "Hold Lea for me, will ya?!" The peasant gladly took it.

"Forget it, Ning" Xun sighed. "I already took care of it" Li Xian watched the strange drunken man stagger all over the place.

"Oh…" Ning turned back to the peasant who was holding his wine bottle only to find him running in the opposite direction "Hey! Bring her back!" He ran over to Xun frantically and cried. "That asshole kidnapped my wife!"

"Now, Ning, there is a child present" Xun told him. "Besides, she was too good for you anyways" he teased, taking Xian's hand and heading back towards the market place. The ceremony was about to start and it was time to act.

"Hee hee, that man is funny" Xian cooed.

"Yes, he's a lot of things" Xun sighed as he glanced back at Ning and found him on the ground crying loudly.

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**I sorrrrrrrry! I kno I said that the actual wedding was going to be in chapter 15, but there turned out to be a lot more stuff going on than I thought and I didn't want to make the chapters too long! I'm so sorry! –cries- TT I hope you like it anywho! It will take place in the next chappie! **


	16. Hell on Earth

**FINALLY the wedding. I wish I could have fit it in with the last chapter like I promised, but I added a lot of stuff with Gan Ning!-- It's so easy to make some slight humor with that guy, I'm glad you all enjoyed it at least. I thought it was going to be tacky, but oh well –lol- Enjoy the wedding, I mean the chappie! **

**NoTe: I was going to say this last time, but since the wedding didn't actually happen it wasn't relevant to the last chappie. Although, I did some research, I'm not sure how a Chinese wedding actually happens. So I'll wing it. The wedding scene will be a little vague. Maybe I'll just make some of it up, enjoy anyways! **

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**_Chapter 16 _**

**_Hell on Earth _**

Noon, the wedding…

The palace was inside the capital, but in the back, so it was a very short, dismal ride to the capitals center. Sun Xuan wished it longer. The midday sun was now perfectly over head and beaming it's radiant light onto the large tiled building-tops.

Considering she couldn't see the town from her bedroom and she came to the palace through a secret path, she had no idea that the huge town was anything but poor. It wasn't filled with the richest people, far from it, but its streets were surprisingly clean. Of course, every town had its homeless people, but this town was unbelievable.

Every building had completely tiled roof tops and either plastered or wooden walls. The streets were completely cobbled and rose and fell with the uneven landscape, that was an interesting benefit of the town's already stunning beauty.

As she passed, the towns people paused in their daily routine to look up or walk outside to watch in awe as she passed. Or she thought it was awe, it may have been disdain if they considered her origin being their enemy; Wu. Uncertain, Xuan averted their gaze, or glare, and focused on the Wei insignia on the wall of her carriage. It reminded her of her journey to Wei; the carriage had the same 'Wei' character as this one.

It had been more than two weeks, which was no time at all, but it felt like an eternity since she had seen her Wu kin. She began to wonder what each of them would be doing at that moment. Her uncle and great emperor, was probably taking care of political issues with an iron fist, Sun Jian would be beaming. Zhou Yu, such an good man and an asset to China was probably reading or spending a wonderful afternoon with Xiao Qiao. Oh, and Xiao Qiao, if she wasn't with her beloved husband, no doubt she was picking flowers; her favorite hobby.

Xuan giggled lightly as she thought of her silly aunt. Zhou Ying, Xuan suddenly felt a pang of sadness, the girl probably was playing alone with Xuan's delicate ribbon tied securely in her sleek brown curls. Da Qiao, Xuan let a smug expression spread across her face, she could careless what her mother was doing, it was obvious that Da didn't show much concern. If it weren't for her, Xuan wouldn't be on a carriage ride to her new dreary fate.

Suddenly the carriage lurched as it came to a halt. A few moments later a soldier, dressed in blue, opened the carriage door and bent in a low bow. He held out an assisting hand and she reluctantly took it. The sun beamed down on her as she stepped onto the cobbled ground.

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A few minutes before, in the busy market place…

"Where are you going?" Li Xian inquired with a perplexed expression, tugging on his shirt. "I want to come"

Placing a hand gently on her small head, he gave a tender smile. With the other hand he reached into his pocket and revealed to gold coins. He Held them towards her and bid her to take them. "Here, don't lose them"

Perplexed, she took them and gazed at the valuable gold pieces in her hands. When she looked up, he was gone; lost in the bustling crowd.

Xian felt like she'd just met a ghost—or maybe angel. She had never seen him in the city before that day, but she hoped she would again; her one and only friend, the only one who cared. And she never learned his name.

----------

Leaving the helpless child alone was hard in itself, but attaching himself to someone here in Wei wouldn't have any good results. It was hard to imagine what it must be like to be alone with no family and no one cared, or even noticed. Xun felt a pang a sadness, he did know what that felt like. A father who was never there and a fading mother, he never realized what how cruel and callous the world was.

He remembered the very last moments he spent with his ill mother. He was a mere child and still he remembered her final words.

"_When we are born, we suffer. It is when we die, that we are saved..." _

And with that, she was gone—completely faded. If it weren't for Lu Meng, he would have been just like Li Xian. Perhaps he was just lucky and he wished her the best. She wasn't brainless and she wasn't afraid to stand up for herself. But every bright flame had times when it nearly fades; it needs another spark to make it burn lively once again.

Standing the same alleyway he was in before the generals attacked him; Xun heard the resounding toll of bells from the ceremony. It startled him from his sudden reverie and reminded him of his initial goal. At the end of the alleyway were to seemingly bored looking guards that weren't there before when he had left. They seemed only haft attentive and obviously had better things to do.

Looking passed them he saw the now quieted crowd looking down the velvet carpet opposite the altar. A few moments later an arrogant smug man sauntered down the path; it was needless to say Cao Jin that he was having a very good day. He was dressed in, of course, blue clad and silver armor; his battle attire.

He stood at the top pf the altar and peered back down the path, waiting.

Caught off guard, Xun bolted towards the mouth of the alley towards the ceremony. The soldiers noticed the commotion and straightened their stance and stepped forward. They held the spears up; not at him, but blocking his path. He stopped and glared at them.

"I must get into the ceremony, I have an invitation" Xun chided. They nodded and held a hand out for the invitation. Frustrated, Xun checked his pockets for the document when he realized. The invitation was with Gan Ning; the idiot who was supposed to be with him, but was instead sobbing drunkenly in the carriage over the loss of his wine bottle.

"I…don't seem to have it"

One of the soldiers shook his head. "Then I'm afraid you cannot pass, sir, please step aside"

Hesitant, the young general exchanged glances between the jaded guards that moved back to the mouth of the alley way and the haughty prince across the courtyard. It was then that a white carriage appeared at the end of the velvet carpet. Another brisk guard approached the carriage door and opened it. Assisted by the guard and a saintly figure stepped out.

_What an indescribable feeling it was. It was unfathomable that a person could look so perfect; so beautiful and yet so far from happiness. _

Dressed in gorgeous lace and Falcon feathers, she paced down the velvet carpet; confiding her sadness in every stepBlood red rose pedals danced from the sky as if heaven was crying bloody tears.

_So what feeling was it? Was it happiness that he was finally able to see her although sad face again? Or was it anxiety that his next action could mean never seeing her face again; never hearing her melodic voice again? _

Glancing at every astonished face, she climbed the small set of stairs

…_But one thing was definite…_

The prince, whose conceited demeanor took a drastic swerve towards astonishment when he laid eyes on her, took her soft hands in his.

…_Everything came down to this moment. What will happen next? _

After kissing her hand lightly, the prince gazed into her brilliant eyes and smiled.

_It would be risky, but damn was it worth it! _

A minister that had been standing off to the side appeared next to them. He was balding and his face was sagged and wrinkled. He was dressed in fine blue robes and clasping a small brown book in front of him. He started to speak in a raspy voice that was hard to hear from the alleyway.

Lu Xun was now trying to drum up at quick idea before the ceremony ended and Xuan became Jin's forever. The guards that had stopped him were watching the ceremony and hadn't noticed that he was still loitering.

The slightest commotion or outburst will cause havoc and that's exactly what he planned to do.

Frustrated, Jin gave the priest an impatient glance before smiling back at Xuan. The priests, understanding the prince's harsh glare, began to speak more urgently.

Abruptly, Xun plowed through the distracted guards. One fell hard to the stone ground and the other stumbled to the side wit ha stunned expression. He heard them shouting from behind and deliberately ignored the as he dashed towards the altar. Every face turned to him with a combination astonishment, mystification, and disdain. Cao Jin almost immediately took notice, his face twisting with contempt, but he didn't look utterly surprised.

But Sun Xuan, she was…

_Terrified_

_She was afraid; but not for herself, for him _

For a moment, a subtle and brief moment, Xun was captivated by her; her glossy tresses shined in the sun and danced in the breeze, her petite figure consoled by the delicate feathers. But what tortured him most was her beleaguered and dismal expression. He longed to ask her the last time she smiled.

Then he heard her scream. "No!" Xuan exclaim, trying to run forward, but stopped by the surly prince. Xun heard the guards scrambling towards him from behind him and that's why she shouted, in fear of him demise.

"Wait!" Jin commanded, the guards instantly stopping and staring at their lord in confusion. Jin, in an attempt to relieve his frustration, heaved a loud aggravated sigh and glared at the ground before looking up and exchanging placid glances with everyone. And then he started to let out small astonished laughter's.

"How amazing" He said through his laughter. "I must say that I'm impressed, appalled, but impressed" Jin said, walking down the wooden stairs, watching Xun closely. "It is extraordinary that you were able to travel here in a matter of a few days, infiltrate my territory _and _empire walls, defeat two of my best generals, and still get _here_ in time—simply incredible, but…"

The lingering word, made Xun narrow his eyes on the mistrustful prince who was now approaching a guard standing next to the altar "But I'm afraid your intentions were in vain!" He exclaimed as he lurched out, grabbed the guard's sword from its sheath and rushed towards the young Wu general.

Sun Xuan screeched and nearly fell down the stairs, but she had no need to worry, not yet.

Once close enough, Jin lunged the blade at Xun's stomach but missed as Xun parried to one side. That's when the screams and cries of fear from the crowd broke out. People ran about in tormented confusion.

Blindsided, Jin lurched forward before turning about and glaring at the young general who simply sneered in return. Jin also noticed that Xun had also stolen a sword from a guard, who which he had slain.

"Well, you never cease to impress me" Jin said sarcastically as he smirked, twirling the sword in his hand; it gleamed in the midday sun.

"Should I consider that a compliment?" Xun said with equal derision.

"Does it matter? Besides, my real curiosity is why you come so far for a woman" Jin sneered, glancing up at Xuan who was doing her best to watch in fear while the priest and a guard held her arms tightly. "What motive inspired that?"

"The same motive that inclined you" Xun replied, pointing the blade at the prince who let put an amused laugh.

"Inclined?! Ha!" He scoffed, smirking again "I suppose I could tell you, considering you won't live long enough to tell anyone, that Xuan is what you would call a…luxury. And she will only help me get the real thing that I want. Besides I could have any woman I pleased"

Xun's face warped with hatred for Jin. He had no respect for her—for anything, he was like a Cao Cao reincarnate. "You're disgusting" Xun murmured.

"I've been told, but whatever" Jin shrugged before raising his sword. "Alright, let's see how much you've improved since last we fought!"

Jin lunged the blade again and Xun parried again also only this time, as Jin passed his side, drove his left elbow into the prince's perfect face. He cried out from the sharp pain and in perplexity. While he had time, Xun turned to Xuan, who was still on the altar.

"Xuan, run!" He exclaimed, wishing he could continue stare at her flawless face. But he noticed Jin regrouping and standing again; prepared to attack again. His nose was bleeding and was beyond angry, meaning he didn't hear Xun instruct Xuan to escape. A few moments later, the feudal clashing began again.

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Sun Xuan…

"Xuan, run!" Xun exclaimed before returning to the livid prince, who lunged at him once more.

Perplexed at first, Xuan tried to calculate how she was going to escape the tight grasp of the guard and the priest. The priest would be simple, him being aged and frail, but the young guard would have more control.

Quickly, she ripped her arm from the priest, who literally flung backwards and fell over—which Xuan regretted horribly. The guard, stunned at first, tried to keep his grasp on her arm, but was forbidden to touch her anywhere else as she was the future empress.

"Let me go!" Xuan demanded, trying to free her arm, but the guard wouldn't let up on her.

"N-no, I can't do that, My Lady" He struggled to say as he held tightly.

"I said let me…" She let out a raspy sound in aggravation, raised her leg and struck the guard in his insufficiently guarded shin. "Go!" Releasing her, he cried out and fell forward.

Hastily, Xuan stumbled down the stairs, pausing at the bottom to glance at the clashed generals. At the moment, Xun seemed to have the upper hand, but Jin had a tendency to fool people by putting on a fake performance. Although tempted to help in some way, Xuan did as Xun instructed and ran down an unguarded alleyway at the opposite end of the courtyard.

She came to a crowded market place and she could see some of the familiar faces of some of the people from the ceremony as they glanced around frantically. But two specific faces caught her attention.

All the way down the narrow road, there were two disgruntled looking people. They had many cuts and scratches on their faces from some incident. One was a tad on the heavy side and the other had an eye patch. She recognized them as two generals from the palace and luckily they had yet to notice her, but peasants all around her noticed her and were muttering amongst each other. And their muttering would catch the guards attention, she had to get further away and hide. With that in mind, she turned and ran in the opposite direction.

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Lu Xun...

Cao Jin leapt back and looked around frantically, breathing heavily in exhaustion. "Where the hell did she go?!" He growled, noticing the priest and the guard crumbled on the altar.

"Interesting" Xun scoffed, spinning the sword and trying to contain his own exhausted breathes. "It appears she doesn't want you and you gave me the impression that you could have any woman you pleased, I suppose not" Xun smirked in a mock tone.

Jin gritted his teeth, distasting by his impudence. "I have had enough of you, guards!" Jin exclaimed, turning towards the entrance. Guards, who had been trying to assist the lost guests, came pouring into the courtyard, armed.

"Sorry, I can't waste time with you anymore. I have a bride to find" Jin sneered, heading for an incorrect alleyway as a few of the guards followed. The rest were heading for Xun. He didn't have to time to fight them; he had to find Xuan before Jin did.

As the nearest guard came towards him, Xun gave him a sharp blow to the stomach with his foot; propelling him backward and into the following guards. They all toppled over as Xun ran toward the path he'd seen Xuan last heading for. Fortunately, Jin chose the wrong alleyway, giving Xun and Xuan extended time.

Although extremely risky, Xun was convinced that they would escape alive and that's all he cared about now.

He was first in a busy marketplace until he entered a dreary less infested path. He was passing a small crevice when he heard someone murmur his name.

"Xuan?" Xun spoke into the dark fissure. She came crawling out and struggled to stand. Her once clean face was blotched with dirt as was her dress, but she seemed to careless.

"Hi, Xun!" She laughed, waving her hand vigorously. Xun gazed at her with a knitted brow in disbelief.

"Hi? Hi?!"

Laughing, He pulled her into his arms in a tight, tender embrace—an embrace that both longed for. They held there for a while before releasing each other. Xun grasped her hand quickly.

"Come now" He instructed, pointing down the path opposite the marketplace. "We must hurry if wish to escape"

He led them forward, but he felt her resisting behind him.

"Wait, Xun" She murmured reluctantly. Xun paused and turned to Xuan with a perplexed expression.

"But, I'm afraid, we don't have time to wait, if we don't Jin will…" Xun's voice trailed off, when he noticed the depressed expression on her angelic face. "Xuan, what's wrong?"

"I…" Xuan began, looking at her feet. "I don't think I should leave"

As she expected, Xun was astonished, gaping at her motionlessly. "What? Why?"

Xuan turned her back to him "I…I think Wei is where destiny has placed me and…"

Realizing what she was saying, Xun wrapped his arms around her waist. "No, Xuan, you don't deserve this place, it's corrupted and filled with hatred"

"I know, but maybe I can remedy that" She said with hope, looking up to where her eyes met his. She gave him a wide smile.

"But…" Xun was rather speechless; he wanted her back so terribly, but he didn't want to force her if wanted to stay. But what about what he wanted? "But, I…"

"You what?" Xuan asked with a perplexed expression. Xun released her and turned her towards him, holding her close. If he had to leave her now then he wanted her to know how she had affected him.

"Xuan, I…If you wish to stay here then…I" He stammered nervously, which was a new and awkward feeling. He clenched his hands around the balls of her shoulders. "Then I won't stop you, but, Xuan…I lov—"

"Aww, how sweet this is" A sadistic voice cooed from behind. Xun whipped around and stood firmly before Xuan like a protective shield. Needless to say, it was Cao Jin; standing a few feet away, crossing his arms, and smiling triumphantly. Behind him were the disdainful looking Xiahou Yuan and Dun.

"But alas, you must now die!" Jin snapped as he revealed the slender blade again. Sneering sadistically, he stalked towards them.

"Wait!" Xuan begged, positioning herself in front of Xun. Jin stopped and scowled at her. "Please, let him go" Xuan pleaded "I will stay, but please let him go free"

Cao Jin was quiet for a moment; his sneer faded and his expression was stoically inert as he stared at Xuan. He was apparently evaluating his standards, deciding which would benefit him more.

He exchanged concerned glances and stern glares between Xuan and Xun before sighing "Xuan is unhappy, this isn't good; even on or wedding day" His ominous black eyes danced as he smiled at her before it turned to a disdainful frown when he glared at Xun "Go" He growled "But if you show your face her again, I won't be so lenient, so go before I change my mind"

As she turned to him, Xun noticed her eyes feeling with sorrowful tears. "I will see you again, I promise…Please go, I'm sorry" She murmured almost inaudibly. It was apparent that she was trying terribly to contain her cries.

Noticing Jin sneer again from behind Xuan, Xun paused before sighing in defeat. He reached slowly into his pocket while Jin wasn't looking and revealed a small red leather bound book. Xuan peered down at the novel like book; she recognized it immediately. It was the book from the night she woke after falling asleep in Xun's room. He was writing in it. **(Found in Ch. 3)**

"Goodbye" Xun muttered handing it to her; Xuan took it quickly and pressed it close to her stomach, hiding it. With that, Xun turned and ran off, turning once to smile back before disappearing down an alleyway.

"Xun…" Xun whispered to herself.

"Xuan" Jin murmured from behind in a semi-concerned voice. Snapping away from her reverie, Xuan quickly slid the tiny book into the feathered crest of her dress, under her arm. She turned to him, keeping her head low.

"Xuan" Jin repeated, reaching his hand out to her. "Come"

His voice was quiet and all signs of haughtiness and self-righteousness had long faded from his now neutral expression. Nodding reluctantly, Xuan took his hand and followed.

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After some of the guests had been relocated and the ceremony area cleaned, the wedding went as planned. No more interruptions, no more problems at all. One would say it was as if the disruption had never occurred.

But it did. And the heartache would replay itself in her mind forever…

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**So what do ya think? –Dodges rocks and garbage- I kno, I'm srry! After all that he never saved her. And the end sounds like the ending of the story, but it's not, it's only begun. I kno you're disappointed, but it was suspenseful! Don't worry, they'll meet again soon enough. Srry TT Please R and R! See you in the next chappie. **


	17. Winter's Wonder

**Alright I'm back! Because I got such wonderful feedback from you all, I'm sure that you want the next chappie! Since I had to delete two of my former stories, I'm glad that this one is going well and I hope you all enjoy it! Anyways, here's chapter 17: 3 **

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_**Chapter 17 **_

_Winter's Wonder_

--

It had been months since that day…

And I still could recall that scent of the rose pedals, the feel of the dress… and even _your_ sweet words resounding in my ears.

Time passed like the waters of the Yellow River; unable to be held, unable to be stopped and I saw my future fold before me.

Everyday was the same dismal repetition that never changed.

And I never expected it to. I did what I was meant to do in this life without a complaint.

And yet, no matter how much I committed, I still longed for something that may never come…

But hope had not abandoned me yet.

My husband, as stubborn as he may seem, treated my kindly.

But no matter how much he catered to me there was still a twinge of mistrust to him

and something that I would never forgive him of…

His kindness was sincere, but it came to me in a suspicious manner as if he were trying to gain every once of trust.

But isn't that what we all want; trust?

Perhaps I am still clinging to the faded past…

It was early winter and the season I turned seventeen. And Cao Jin was becoming increasingly impatient with me, but I gave no sign of breaking. Ever since the wedding, he had kept me close probably in the hopes that I would confess my love for him, but honestly I had no intention on that. And yet, I felt my hope slowly fade with each passing day.

Things began to crumble from beneath my feet on our wedding—or more specifically, our wedding _night_. As I found out, Cao Jin had been waiting for this particular night for a long time and apparently, I made him REALLY upset when I refused. As you can guess, he didn't appreciate that. As a matter of fact, if his face had grown any redder, it may have popped.

But that wasn't the only surprise I had that night. After the wedding incident, it was when I returned to the palace that I realized I hadn't seen the emperor at the ceremony. It seemed inevitable that a parent would attend their own son or daughters wedding. But then again, my mother wasn't there either, was she? However, I was becoming uneasy about the emperor.

It was about a week thereafter, did I finally meet him. It was after sunset and I was walking alone as I had abandoned my guardian, who followed me everywhere and Ca Jin was still livid about being refused ardor, so I was alone.

--

A week after the wedding…

Treading slowly the dimly lit halls of my new home, in no hurry to reach my room where I would argue once again with Cao Jin, I sighed to myself. It had been but a week and I already felt the dreary walls close around me. I had seen less and less of Cao Li since the wedding, so life had been quiet. The people here didn't express a cozy atmosphere. But I was told that I would come to except this.

The windowless halls set a spooky feeling at night. A few torches here and there didn't remedy the ghastly ambiance and no sounds of light emitted through the cracks of the closed doors as I passed. The never-ending carpet was what lead me around the repugnant corners and the frightful paintings portrayed the death and desolation of war.

But within the silence and darkness of the corridors, I wasn't alone. I felt the daunting feeling of a figure shadowing me from behind. I moved forward quickly; trying to keep from tripping over my lengthy dress and focusing on the tiny clanking of my dangling hair pins. But the feeling crawled over me as I heard it speak.

"So, finally I get to see the apple of my son's eye" The voice was venomous and it poured from their mouth in furtive doses. I was startled at first, but I tried to hide my fear as I turned to the speaker. Fear would do you no good here. "I had no idea a Wu woman could be so lovely" The voice chuckled lightly.

I held my small fan to my mouth, smiling as I concealed my fright. Cao Pi, the emperor revealed himself from around the dark corner. He had a young face, not as handsome as his son's though. His eyes were as sinful as his tone and his frightening grin. His long hair was the darkest brown like my own and was tied nonchalantly behind his back. He wore a small coat of armor and a flowing blue coat fell behind him.

"Good evening, sire, I am glad to finally meet the great Wei emperor that I heard so much about" I lied casually in a furtive tone as I bowed my head.

He chuckled lightly again, smirking. "So the Wu girl is an expert at lying" He chided, speaking in third person for a moment.

"I-I don't know what you mean" I replied, fanning herself nonchalantly, trying to hide my panicky breaths.

Pi clasped his hands behind his back and sighed in exasperation. "You innocent type disgust me"

"I'm…I'm sorry" I said, beginning to realize what Zhen Ji had told me about Pi. "If I've given you a reason to dislike me, then I apologize"

"I'm sure you are" Pi sneered as he stalked away, disappearing into the darkness. I hadn't expected this to be my overall impression on him, but from then on I did my best to avoid him and his venomous words.

--

Now that it was months later I was successful on avoiding him on the most part. Ever since that night, he had started attending the dinners in the Main Hall and sometimes I still felt his ghastly presence at night as I walked to my room. He was shadowing me. Why, I had yet to find out. Generally, it felt as if the palace itself was watching my every move, my every step.

Underneath all its mysterious interior and vapid tone, there was an explanation. Something sinister was brewing within these walls and I had a feeling that I would be sucked into the situation like everyone else. And I couldn't stop it.

It was something undeniably repugnant. It was like a mysterious curse had developed within its dark corridors and over time that same malicious curse began to possess all its residents. It was such a depressing place that I had to escape it sometimes, even if that required sneaking out into the capital town.

Even now, as I sit in the courtyard outside the palace admiring one lone wildflower that had survived the winter thus far, I am tempted to escape into a being familiar to my past. It was a need to escape from the palace; like an alcoholic needs his liquor, I need the feeling of being near ordinary people.

Standing, leaving the brave little wildflower, I pulled the brown hood of my warm coat over my head and headed towards the palace entrance. I glanced behind me every now and then to make certain that no one was watching until I reached the larger gates of the entrance. Two lazy guards in front of the gates, yawned until one realized I was there and who I was.

He panicked. "Oh, Lady Xuan!" He cowered, forcing the other guard to take notice. They both made low bows, staggering. "D-did you need something, My Lady?"

"Yes, I need to get through" I replied, gesturing to the gates behind them. Each took a moment to glance at the other.

"But, I'm afraid we cannot allow that unless her eminence has an escort" One stated. Their uneasiness was amusing to me, so I decided to make my escape all the more entertaining.

"Yes, I suppose you're right" I smirked, sighing and turning on my heels towards the palace. I sauntered slowly towards it as I continued. "And while I'm there I'll be sure to inform my husband about how his palace is being guarded by soldiers who can't keep from dozing on the job. Yes, I'll be sure to let him know" Without looking, I could feel them tense up behind me.

Apparently, they were aware of Jin's mean streak, because one quickly objected. "No, please, My Lady!" He begged as I stopped walking and turned back to him. "W-we shall let her eminence to pass, please"

I heaved a fake disappointed sigh as I sauntered back towards the gate, which the second soldier was quick to open. As I passed, I could tell that they were relieved, but I never intended to report them to my wrathful husband; I'm not that cruel.

Like I said before, the palace was inside the capital walls, but in the back and there was a short road between the palace and the capital city itself. Everything in between was like a normal road. If you didn't know better, you would have had the notion that you weren't even in the capital. The cobbled road was surrounded by many cherry trees as far as the eye could see. Sadly, it was winter so it looked like nothing but ominous wooden skeletons sprouting from the earth.

The guards at the entrance into the town didn't bother stopping me as I walked through the already opened gateway. I looked about with curiosity.

The city was enormous, taking up most of the capital space which covered approximately three miles in width and length. It was divided it three distinctive districts. The largest was the residential district which was the northern section of the city. The district on the southwest section of the city was the market district, which somewhat spread in the other areas of the city, considering the merchants found it easier to sell their merchandise without competition.

The last section to the southeast wasn't exactly a district and was dedicated solely to palace agriculture crops. Huge plots of land were used for growing food for those who lived in the palace, while the citizens received there food from the traveling merchants if they could afford it. If a peasant was caught stealing from the palace crops, the punishment was brutal.

Learning all this was a headache and Jin made sure that I had every last detail.

Anyways, I entered into the city from the backside of the residential district. It wasn't a bustling mess like the market district probably there was very few to no men here. During the day, the majority of the population were women and their energetic children who spent the day running around the city wrecking havoc while their mother was home making a humble living until her husband returned from work.

I admired them all; so carefree. I admired the simple living to where I sometimes ached. That's how simple it was here; you're born, you live, you die, that's all.

It made me feel happy being among them, because they didn't know who I was and they considered me just another one of them; just another resident drifting by.

I walked slowly through the small roads, glancing curiously at the humble women sweeping their doorsteps, some stopping to smile at me as I smiled in return. The children scurried too and fro around me, shouting and giggling without a care; oh, the innocence of childhood. I glanced up at the gray ominous sky and the first snow flakes would fall soon.

I was almost at the edge of the district when I noticed a group of children, maybe four or five of them, gathered around the wall of a house. I assumed they had found something interesting, I was concerned that they had found something dangerous such as a snake of a diseased rat. But I soon realized it was much more serious. From over their shoulders, I noticed that they were poking something propped against the wall with sticks. As I looked closer from where I stopped I realized what they were torturing.

It was a small weeping girl.

She was smaller than the rest; she was the same age no doubt, but her body…it was so gaunt and her face showed the devastating signs of starvation. Her pretty black hair was drooping around her shoulders and her tattered, filthy clothes were falling from her thin, unnourished body. She was timid and cringing against the wall as the sharp sticks were pressed into her skin as if she were a poisonous experiment instead of another human.

All of the sudden, one of the callous children, a boy, approached her and grabbed a lock full of her delicate black hair. He yanked hard to where the weak girl fell to the ground, to unhealthy to fight back. It was apparent that it took all her energy to scream and the disturbing thing was that the children just laughed.

That act of cruelty pushed me far over the edge.

I would never in my life strike a child, but I wasn't opposed to punishing one even if it wasn't mine.

I stalked over the giggling crowd, pushing my way through until I reached the little boy. He had yet to notice me until I took a firm grip on the arm that held the feeble victimized girl who struggled to sit up. When I squeezed his arm, the boy released her and squealed in fear.

"Shame on you!" I cried, pushing the boy towards the stunned crowd of children. "Shame on all of you, this girl is not yours to torment, now go on!"

They willingly obliged, running off, some even starting to cry. I watched them all disappear until I turned back to the girl. She was propped against the wall and breathing hard.

The site was even more horrid close up; her face, although sweet, was terribly emaciated. Her clothes, which had fit at one time, were a mess, falling off her shoulders. But worst of all, the pain and suffering were written in those beautiful black eyes. I would have cried if hadn't been concerned with her health first.

"T-thank you" She said through her exhausted breathes.

"Are you alright" I asked quickly, kneeling by her and brushing a hand against her forehead. I was astonished by this site, her skin was pale and rugged. I even noticed cuts from the sharp sticks that were pressed to her delicate flesh.

The girl nodded, panting hard.

"When was the last time you ate?" I asked, wide-eyed.

"I…I don't remember" Was the girls weak reply. "I ate…a little bread the other day, but it didn't help…I'm still hungry"

"Alright, just don't speak" I ordered tying her hair back with a ribbon. "You cannot waste energy"

"I feel d-dizzy" Her reply was faded and almost gone. She closed her eyes and leaned her head onto my shoulder.

I didn't know what to do. What could I do? I feared that her starved body hadn't been excepting the meager amount of food and it was too late for this child. A _child_. I couldn't let her die, I won't let her die. Without another option, I lifted the girl into my arms and walked back down the road I came.

As I passed through the city gates and headed towards the palace, I contemplated what I had stumbled onto; A young girl, all alone, starved probably beyond curing, and on the verge of death. It seemed futile, but I would try.

Passing be the skeleton like trees, I felt the feeble girl shift in my arms. She was so light even though she had to be about seven or eight.

Finally I reached the gates the guards had kept it open for me. They watched me as I passed with confused and curious eyes. I ignored them and moved quickly towards the palace. I was beginning to wonder how I would explain all of this, but I didn't care. I didn't care.

"M-mommy?" I heard the girl murmur quietly as she slept while I entered the palace. I paused to gaze at her before continuing on towards the infirmary.

I made it to the infirmary, brushing passed the doctor who bombarded me with questions. I placed the girl on a mat, pulling her filthy clothes from her weak body. Her stomach was so emaciated, it was sickening. I would see almost every bone.

I laid her head down gently, pulling the blankets to hide her naked, unhealthy body. I then turned to the doctor, who watched with perplexity.

"She needs food and water immediately" I told him. He nodded and left the room. Once he was gone, I peered down at the girl, whose breathing was so hard that it was inevitable that hurt to breathe. She struggled to open her exhausted eyes.

"W-where am I?"

"Your in the palace infirmary, food is coming" I whispered, smiling tenderly. "I'm Sun Xuan"

She stared at me, perplexed for a moment before smiling slightly.

"What's your name?" I asked, brushing her hair out of her face. Breathing deeply, she snuggled into the blankets.

"Li Xian"

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**Well, there you go! I kno, that wasn't a great chapter cuz there was no Xunie! But he'll be there in the next chappie! It was really only a chapter to tell you what happened after some time passed. Well, gotta go! BYE: D**


	18. My Heart, Written in Black Ink

**Yes, it's been a while since I updated. Actually I haven't updated _'Red Malady'_ or _'Linger'_, -- my apologies. I'm lacking the proper motivation, but I'll do my best! Here's chapter 18: D **

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**Chapter 18 **

_**My Heart, Written in Black Ink **_

In Wu…

Lu Xun POV

"I cannot believe you did this!" Quan raged, pointing an accusing finger at me and my shattered counterpart. We knelt and dropped our heads for forgiveness, but it was not in Sun Quan's nature to forgive as I had come to find out.

It was a few hours since our return from Wei and not a moment was wasted to punish us.

In the throne room, everyone was there: Sun Quan, whom had risen from his throne now. Lady Wu stood in disappointment behind her son, sighing and frowning in grief. Sun Shang Xiang stood a few feet away from Gan Ning threatening to pounce the second the session with Quan was over. Zhou Yu and all the others stood at the back of the room, some shaking heads in disgust while others crossed their arms with fury.

"I don't know what repulsive desire has compelled you to such a stunt…" Quan paused to sigh in aggravation and I knew every word now was spoken only to me, I looked up at him as he glared back crossly. "But I assure you it won't go unpunished"

With that he turned his back to me and the session ended, inevitably meaning for everyone to leave and meaning Ning to face the wrath of the tiger princess. I felt ashamed about that; it was my fault that Ning was facing Shang Xiang and all of Wu's disdain with me. That's when the reality came to me in a hard pang of guilt.

All the fighting, all the pain and sadness, was **my** fault; on **my** shoulders.

It didn't happen often, but as I made my way towards my room I felt the overwhelming need to let my sadness break free. Propped against the wall, I let myself slide to the floor; hands covering my face in dishonor and failure. And I cried, for the first time since my mother's death, I let the tears fall.

In the rare times I saw him, my father had told me that men weren't meant to cry, but nonetheless, I let the sorrowful tears fall. Like always, he wasn't here to stop me. He had **never** been here; not with me or my mother and now it was too late. But that was not the reason for my misery.

I had lost **you**. I had failed at my promise to have you here with me again. And fate had meant it that way.

That is the harsh world we live in.

But still yet, there was shred of hope, a shred of desire that refused to die.

_--That_ was several months ago…--

Now it was winter and not much things had changed. The three kingdoms remained quiet without any real threats except for the usual small revolts or street bandits that were easily remedied.

In reality, my daily life had gone from shunned from everyone else to gradually regaining their trust. By now, my Wu friends had accepted my 'Mistake' as they called it as a mere remnant of the fading past. But to me, the 'Fading past' was destined to repeat itself again and again until you're here, until you're mine.

Until then, I am forced into a position of disguise, to pretend I no longer cared for someone I needed. It was difficult, but like in war, the pain was something to endure. I returned to my daily routine; reading, mapping, and sparring. It was routine that, ever since I first came to Wu, was normal.

But that day, when you had first arrived in Wu, I felt my ordinary life shift from beneath my feet. And I knew, ever since you told me your heart breaking secret, that this new adventure would be the one that pulled at my heart strings.

Even without you here, I felt my affection develop into longing. As you read the memoirs I have woven into that book, I know that as you reach for the next page you'll realize what it is I've locked away for so long. Perhaps, your desire to stay in Wei as your obligation will change to a desire of another kind.

Until then, I'll wait with prolonged patience.

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Evening, at the Wei palace, Sun Xuan's room…

To Xuan's relief, Li Xian had improved over the next few days since she had discovered her. Already her gaunt face and body were regaining their health and normal plumpness. She slept most of the day and only woke long enough to eat and tell Xuan a little more about her. Like Xuan had expected, her parents abandoned her, unable to take care of her. Although, Xuan suspected that a real parent would have done more to avoid losing a child to a life of isolation.

She also told Xuan she loved Jiaozi Dumplings, which she treated the girl too anytime she pleased. She had a beautiful smile, revealing pearly white baby teeth, some already fallen out when she smiled. Her eyes were deep pools of brown like Xuan's and her long ebony hair had a beautiful sleekness after brushed. Her laughter was life a rainbow after a thunderstorm. She was still able to laugh after so much sadness.

Although, she was a joyful guest to Xuan, there was a lot who disdained her for bringing Li Xian here—Cao Jin, in particular. The doctor had gone and told him about Li Xian. And needless to say, Cao Jin was livid.

Already angry with Xuan for refusing a little passion, Jin was prepared to march into the infirmary and remove the girl personally. Xuan was success in dissuading him, but still he seethed about it, but he would forgive her eventually.

Even though it has been months since Xuan had seen Xun last, I still have yet to read the book he'd given her. She was afraid, but ready now.

It was late, the time when Jin would disappear without a trace until midnight. Sneaking towards a large framed painting of horses, Xuan peered into the rather large crevice between the wall and the large painting. Within the dim light, Xuan could see the corner of the book. Sticking her thumb and forefinger in she was able to wedge the book out of its hiding place.

When she got it out, she stood for a moment, staring down at the peculiar red leather book. It was an inch thick and the pages were made of fine parchment.

'_Why did he want me to have this?' _

It was a question she had asked herself many times, but there was no one to answer. She had no choice but to find out on her own.

Bringing the candle to the table next to her, Xuan sat on the bed and gazed down at the book again, letting her hands slide down the cool, smooth cover. Opening it to the first page it read:

'_To my departed mother, Jia Xun, for your endless love and encouragement' _

The touching words were slightly faded; he must have started this some time ago. His handwriting was so perfect and elegant that Xuan was tempted to touch the words. After a moment, she turned the page. For some reason, he didn't date his entries by months or days, instead he wrote the entry number, season, and year at the top corner of the page. This was the first entry:

_'Entry one, early spring, 194 _

_Father is gone again, leaving mother and I alone. I said that he was sick of this place and said he was going away for a while. Is it my fault? Is it mother's fault? Mother told me that things would change, but would change help' _

From the sound of it, Lu Xun must have been a child at the timeSecond entry followed and sometime had past:

_'Entry two, the end of summer, 194_

_Mother's coughing a lot more than usual. She say's that I shouldn't worry and that she would have someone to take care of me if something happened to her. I heard the doctor say she had a bad illness and that there was no cure. I was scared, what would happen to mommy? What will happen to me?' _

Xuan read on:

_'Entry three, early fall, 194 _

_It's getting colder already and the leaves are falling. I can tell that the cold isn't doing mother any good, but all I can do is help her. Father came back yesterday after being gone since spring. He seemed dizzy, he couldn't walk straight, and his eyes were red. He also spoke funny; his words were all mixed up. What was wrong with him? I heard him yelling at mother and I saw her crying. I wanted to help her, but I was afraid…' _

Xuan was about to turn the page to read the next entry, when she heard a commotion outside her door. She stood and ran quickly to the painting, sliding the book into the hiding place.

She turned back to the door as the door flew open. The prince wasn't usually back so early, but he seemed annoyed.

"Is something wrong?" Xuan asked coolly, walking towards him slowly.

"No" He replied simply letting a grin spread across his angelic face. He approached her, taking her face in his warm hands, he leaned and kissed her lips. Xuan didn't resist his kiss and then his hands slid from her face to her shoulders and down her back. He started fidgeting with the lace strings of her bed gown; this is how he tried to break her into getting what he wanted. Unconvinced, Xuan turned away from his kiss and removed his hands from her back.

"Not now" She told him, turning away.

Jin gritted his teeth and heaved an aggravated sigh. Her prolonging game was becoming a burden to him and he was about fed-up.

"Why are we waiting?" He chided "I've had about enough of this belated game of yours, Xuan. You know what I want"

"Perhaps, you should be more patient—"

"I'm _tired_ of being _patient, _damn it!" Jin shouted, grabbing her arm and forcing her to face him. She proceeded to give him a frightened expression that always melted his frozen heart.

He opened his mouth to speak, but replaced it with a frustrated sigh in its stead. Glaring angrily at the floor, he stalked down the hall that leads to the oversize wardrobe.

Sun Xuan sighed in anxiousness and walked toward the large bed, sitting and tugging on her hair. He wouldn't wait much longer before he would start getting forceful; like he did the when they met. But it was apparent that he had a soft spot for her and that was the only card she had to play.

Blowing out the candle, Xuan slid between the sheets and closed her eyes. A few moments later she felt Jin's presence beside her, but he was careful to avoid touching her. She was surprised when he started to speak.

"I apologize for shouting" He whispered "There are things that I can't tell you that make me so…irritated"

"I…understand" Xuan replied and the silence fell. She couldn't remember him ever telling her he was sorry for _anything_. And it was difficult for him and that's what made her feel safe with him; that different things compelled him, that ambition drove him and her sadness alone consoled him.

But it wasn't enough to break her; she was saving her heart and she would lock it away until he found it.

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**Listening to music while writing really pays off Srry it's a little shorter this time and also that these recent chappies are like all talk and no action. It will pick up as I go along. Please R&R! And I was even confusing myself while I wrote this, so if someone's confused just tell me! 'Till next time! **


	19. Forgiveness

**-SIGH- First, I must apologize for the delay. My comp got all whacked out with the DSL thing. But I'm back with the next chappie and my promises haven't been up the code, but things will start heating up. ENJOY ;) Also, it must be bugging you cuz it's been bugging me about the lack of DW characters and so there will be many in this very chapter. Whoopee **

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_**Chapter 19 **_

**_Forgiveness_**

Noon, the next day, the central assembly room; the Wei palace…

"Everything is going accordingly and further progress will be made as soon as the recruits have trained thoroughly" Cao Ren explained, nodding towards the youth.

"When can we leave?" Jin asked with gravity in his tone. His provocative impatience had rendered him unappreciative.

"Soon, sir"

His plans had been proceeding tenaciously slow and the urge to dominate his rivals were overwhelming, especially when one of those agonizing rivals was his own kin. Just then, the assembly doors blew open as an arrogant emperor strode into the room with an appalling smirk spread across his lips. Behind him strutted elegantly was Lady Gao also portraying an annoying sneer; as if she was rightfully part of the Cao royalty when she was nothing more than a pleasure toy. It sickened Jin to death.

"Good" Cao Pi chided, brushing past his son who glared over his shoulder at him. Pi stood, looming over the large map of China that lay splayed out on the table before him. The generals who stood in the room, Cao Ren, Zhang He, and Cao Hong abruptly bowed accordingly. All three of the generals were engrossed in Jin's plan for they despised Pi for the lack of conquest. They believed Jin was the rightful and true power Wei required.

Cao Ren was a determined and resolute person and believed in progress, but Pi had been ignoring his responsibilities to the kingdom. Zhang He had developed his personal issue with the emperor when Pi tantalized him about his 'less than masculine' personality while in a fit of laughter. Cao Hong had been a military asset during Cao Cao's reign, but when Pi came to power, he was stripped of his military rank and placed in a lower status even though he was family. They all had there reasons and were eager for change. And they fed on Cao Jin's every command.

"So tell me" Pi hissed, eyeing his territory on the map. It wasn't as large compared to Wu, which angered him. "What's your _invincible_ plan?" He solicited, saying the word 'invincible' with infinite sarcasm.

Jin made a slight growl and didn't answer.

Pi wasn't phased and chuckled spitefully. "In any case, I found the fact that you were using that woman as your alibi to be quite impressive" He smirked and then frowned with a harsh glare at Jin. "And also pathetic"

Jin heard Lady Gao arrogantly giggle a little as if she had any place to laugh. She was nothing more than a clueless puppet.

"You'll fail" Pi said with venom. "And when you do, I'll have one less problem around here" With that, he stalked passed Jin and out the door as Gao followed at his heels. As Jin watched him leave, he noticed his mother standing by the door staring at the ground. Cao Pi didn't even heed to her presence and Gao sneered in Ji's direction and left.

Zhen Ji peered up at her son. Jin was shaken by her distraught expression and droopy face from endless sobbing. She used to be so confident and beautiful, but now she was passive and somber from her grief.

She clasped her hand over her mouth, trying to contain cries. Unable to stay any longer, she turned and escaped through the door, a small cry escaping her lips. Jin helplessly watched her scramble away before returning to the generals. If he didn't do something, the grief in Wei life would continue to amplify. It would never go away. Hope was swiftly fading away.

Jin glanced at the three generals and then down at the map, outlining the land marked as Wu with his finger. "Send a messenger to Wu"

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A few days later, the Wu palace…

"I said I'm sorry!" Gan Ning whimpered as he staggered away from the princess who had been following him for days with violent lectures accompanied with harsh smacks against the head. She had yet to forgive him for running off to Wei.

Shang Xiang followed him into the courtyard.

"Sorry doesn't cut the rice, mister!" Shang Xiang snapped, grabbing a hand full of his spiked hair and yanking it back towards her. He whimpered and then grasped her hand tightly, yanking it away from his hair. He pushed her against the wall and closed the place between his face and hers.

Shang Xiang felt her heart speed up.

"Relax. I won't do it again" He murmured, giving her a genuine smile. Shang Xiang seemed in his spell for a moment, for a moment.

"What…the hell is the matter with you?!" She screeched, swiftly slapping him across the face. Her face was burning as she scurried towards the palace leaving him crumbled on the ground.

"Well _that_ got rid of her"

Standing in the sparring circle with Lu Meng, Lu Xun held his gleaming sabers before him ready to fight. With a small leap, Meng lifted his Halberd and it lunged down towards the youth, who quickly blocked it. Meng lowered his attack and nodded in approval.

"Impressive" He stated, standing his Halberd vertically next to him. "But try to parry attacks and counter more than shielding and then countering"

Xun nodded affirmatively through his exhausted gasps for air.

He had been practicing more efficiently and obeying Meng's every command ever since he had returned. Since he wasn't the emperor's favorite general in the palace, he was under a strict probation and any complaint of insubordination would land him in a prison cell. He wasn't one to disobey a superior, but for now he had the position equivalent to a criminal.

"Alright that's enough for today" Meng announced. Xun's straightened shoulder instantly slumped in relief which made Meng laugh heartily.

Walking through the corridors towards his room, Xun heaved an exhausted sigh and shuddered in the cold. Winter was the harshest of all the seasons and this wasn't even slightly intense as the past years. But despite the ominous sky and gloomy unnourished land, everyone in the palace kept a warm and welcoming heart towards each other—even him.

Although, assaulting a kingdom without orders was considered treason, it was hard for him not to be forgiven. He was treated no differently by anyone, except the surly emperor. But he had noticed another hostile person who had been treating him less kindly since his return. Da Qiao was appalled when she heard of his reason for going all that way. She was completely disgusted.

Lu Xun wasn't at all surprised though. If anything, he expected it, but he took his chances.

As he was nearing the stair well towards the higher levels of the palace, a vivacious Xiao Qiao came sauntering towards him from the stair well. He also noticed Zhou Ying close behind her.

Zhou Ying was overly quiet, ever since Sun Xuan left. And every day, a red ribbon that she had mysteriously appeared with was tied in her silky hair.

"Hello Xun!" Xiao squealed, her arms flailed in the air.

"Good afternoon, Lady Xiao" The young general retorted with a simple smile in reply to her flailing. Xiao stopped completely before him as Ying came more slowly behind her. Normally, the girl would be scurrying around as fast as or even faster than her mother, but she lately lagged behind without the same amount of incredulous energy.

"It's cold!" Xiao squealed, cringing her arms to her body in contrast to her limbs thrashing every where. "It's so cold, I forgot what I was going to tell you…! Oh yeah, Da wants to talk to you and she seemed kinda mad"

Xun sighed nonchalantly. "I'm not surprised"

"She was in the library when I saw her, but she started walking somewhere else…" The woman quieted for a moment in thought. Ying sighed and stared up at Xun until he returned her gaze and looked away.

"I think I heard her saying she was going to Xuanie's old room to get some more blankets for tonight" Xiao finally concluded with a convinced nod.

"Alright, Thank you" The strategist replied, bowing his head gratefully and brushing passed her and her daughter towards the stairs. He heard Xiao laugh and scurry away and then heard Ying's slower trudges behind her.

Xuan's room former room turned out to be only a few minutes away from his own room. When he arrived he discovered the door already open and the beaming light of the dull winter sunlight from the window poured out through the door. Standing in the doorway, he searched for the elder Qiao whom he discovered rummaging through the large maple armoire on the side of the room.

When she found what she was looking for, a stack of thick quilts, she grabbed the overflowing heap and stumbled back under the large weight. She tried to contain a squeal of panic and would have fallen over had Xun not restrained the heavy quilts from weighing her down. He took them from her and placed them gently on the neatly made bed.

"Thank you" Da finally said rather curtly. "I'm glad you came"

"Yes. Lady Xiao said you requested to speak to me and she also said that you were troubled" Xun explained. She stared blankly at him for a moment before leering and turning away towards the pile of quilts.

"Xiao tends to miscalculate things" Da explained, tiding up the blankets. "I am not angry. I am simply…concerned"

"Concerned?" Xun repeated with a furrowed brow. "Why, may I ask?"

The eldest Qiao didn't reply for a moment. She waited until her chore was all neat before turning to him. "It was an unpleasant tiding" She hesitated "To see watch my daughter defy everything that was planned for her"

Xun shook his head, uncomprehending. "I apologize, but I don't understand what you—"

Da whipped around and jammed her finger in his face. "And it was all _your_ fault! Yours! _Yours_!" Her face was cringed in complete hatred.

Lu Xun was frozen with a stricken expression as Da apparently had realized her error. She withdrew her accusing finger as all the lethal redness in her face began to drain to startled white.

"…" She didn't apologize like she normally would have. But then again nothing seemed normal. She was unable to face him any longer and turned to the window. "Can't you see? Everything I have done for her; the knowledge, the obedience, the behavior, has all been besmirched by _you_"

The very word that referred to him seethed from her mouth like perilous toxin. From where he stood he could see her clenching her fist farthest from him and the other clutched to windowsill, attempting to scrape her fingernails into the polished wood. She glared out the window at the deteriorated land outside the window that was once a meadow of an array of colors and breeds of flower.

Lu Xun, although confused with her accusations or even the purpose of them, was unfazed. He glanced at a fan that was hung on the wall; it was a bright orange of a sunset and decorated blue birds bustling around the illuminated sky. He was distracted by it for a moment until she spoke again.

"And to think, you were the _last_ person I would have suspected to betray the late lords wishes" She was without a doubt referring to Sun Ce. "I saw you that day in the Peach Garden, when you kissed and I was…appalled"

Xun sneered. Now he understood.

"I apologize again My Lady," Xun said half apologetically and half distastefully. "I know now what you are upset for. But I have done no wrong nor has Lady Xuan and I am sure Lord Ce would have been obligated to contradict you also"

Da Qiao, the eldest and wisest perhaps in her entire family, was scorning his fondness of Xuan. Or perhaps the very conspiracy called 'love'. Even though, she and Ce loved each other more than any other couple he'd ever known other than Zhou Yu and Xiao Qiao.

It was interesting to Xun though that the woman, despite how passive she was, would bottle her restless thoughts for so many months since Xuan's departure.

"I am sorry for your hurt feelings, don't mistaken me for that" Xun said reassuringly, turning towards the door. "But understand, I will never apologize for mine"

With that, Xun left her standing unmoving by the window as he trekked down the hall towards the Main Hall. He longed to Xuan again, the sudden squabbling with Da stirred his desire to see her even more. But he didn't let the present dishearten him, true happiness happens slowly.

Da's complaint had reminded him of the kiss, an elating reminded of what he fought and would keep fighting for.

As he passed by the throne room he heard voices, some familiar and one unknown.

"Sire, a messenger of Wei has arrived" A servant said from within the large room. Xun peaked into the room, careful not to be seen by the emperor. "He brings news from the Wei prince"

There was a pause as the messenger stepped forward. "Your majesty" There was another pause as the messenger bowed. "The prince invites your highness and the Wu officers for festivity at the Wei palace celebrating prince's unborn child"

That made Xun's heart sink.

He was unable to listen any longer and found himself treading quickly in a random direction. How can it be? He was unable to fathom a demon's child growing inside Sun Xuan, it disgusted him. The thought resounded painstakingly in his head as did the notion that something was very wrong here.

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**Finally, I though I was never going to finish! Lol Hope u enjoyed:) **

**NOTE PLZ READ! I am renaming this fic. It will now be named 'As the Phoenix Falls **


	20. Hell's Bargain

** Welcome back! Sorry for the wait! **

** I discovered that I've been spelling Lady Gao's name incorrectly, it's actually Lady Guo. I kno, who cares lol **

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**_Chapter 20 _**

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**_Hell's Bargain _**

Late evening, the Wei Palace, the Emperor and Empress chamber…

"Your consort bows before the emperor" Zhen Ji said, kneeling and rising again.

Today was a special day—or for her a dreadful day. It was the anniversary of Zhen Ji's marriage to Cao Pi. Her five layer robe dress was made of the most delicate silk gold. And her long brunette hair was held back into fabulous tresses with over twenty golden pins that varied in size and each had its meaning. A gold crown that covered the front portion of her head almost like a helmet portrayed the elegancy of the Phoenix.

Cao Pi, to her surprise, wore his ceremonial attire; a robe that matched her own and the crown of the Dragon.

When Ji entered, he was sitting cross-legged at the table, toying with something in his hand. The light of the candles and torches illuminated the room's brilliant vibrant colors.

But colors only portray beauty, not truth.

The portrait of Wei life was not at all colorful. It was dark, black symbolizing corruption and secrets. That is the milieu of this place. Secrets lye within everyone's hearts and after sometime, begins to corrode the once happy relationships. And now, almost no one speaks with out a purpose, always watching each other with a suspicious eye.

At first no one spoke. The only sound was the occasional clanking of Ji's dangling hairpins. Pi was still concentrating on something in his hand. What it was, Ji couldn't distinguish.

"Leave us" Pi finally uttered curtly commanding Ji's servants that had followed her to leave. They immediately did so and quickly backed out and closing the door behind them.

"Today is special" Pi stated, still glaring at the unknown item in his hand.

"Yes" Ji concurred tersely. "It is a shame though. That his majesty celebrated this day…with another"

She inevitably was referring to Lady Guo; the devious crook she was. Guo rarely spoke to the empress or even showed her respect as the empress. That being a terrible punishment if she had not already been in the emperor's favor.

It was clear to Ji that Guo longed to replace her on the throne and she was on the verge of her wish.

"Does that not please you?" Pi chided. He was mocking her with the sick question. It was the day of their unity and Guo had interfered.

Ji hesitated. Although she was the empress, she was still a woman, in other words, an inferior. The wrong words spoken could mean her life.

"…" Ji glanced away with disgust. She fixed her eyes on a golden hair pin that lay unmoving on a table. It portrayed the elegance of the renowned Phoenix; a creature that symbolized swiftness and a keen mind.

"I've observed your disdain for sometime now and to be honest it…" He paused to turn his eyes to her finally, halting to tampering of the item in his hand. "Irritates me"

It was a lovely pin, sleek and gleaming in the dim candle light. The wings spread widely, creating a large portion of the pin.

"And I'm exhausted of dealing with your bitterness" He continued ignoring that Ji was shouldering away from his glare. "You've become distasteful to me and we can't have that"

Zhen Ji focused on the pin. The Phoenix raises its head towards the sun symbolizing a brighter future; a brighter, happier future. A time to relinquish your grief. Where all your pain and sorrow would be washed away. The gold revealed a distorted reflection; the reflection of a woman worn by years of sorrow. A woman waiting for that brighter future that would never come.

"And so, this is how I will resolve this plight" Pi said, looking back at the object. "I will remove your name as empress and put Lady Guo in your place" He laughed maliciously. "Isn't that nice, Ji?

_Such a pretty **damn** pin! _

Grasping the sharp pin, Ji hastened towards her betraying husband and attempted to pierce his heart with the needle end of the hair pin. But failed as Pi whipped towards her and gripped her wrists tightly. Her face cringed with disgust until she finally let the pin slip from her fingers in defeat.

It fell for what seemed like an eternity before clattering to the ground.

The tension was intense, Pi was unfazed but his sneer had been removed by her attack. Ji could find only one thing to say.

"I…hate you!" Despite her scornful statement, tears fled from her eyes and onto the delicate gold of her robe.

Cao Pi sneered. "You truly are insane"

Zhen Ji could not contradict him. Her pain didn't develop through his faded love for her but instead by her intense love with the royal life. She had become obsessed with expensive robes and immaculate jewels that she would kill to compensate for it.

There was silence for sometime, until Pi spoke with such casualness, the words that determined her fate. "You insatiable and you have no place here.I have no other option"

Ji finally rummaged the nerve to look up into his black deceiving eyes.

He pushed her away, releasing her wrists, he bent to pick up something on the floor. It was the item he beheld earlier. It was a vile and inside was something while and leather-like. "This is called Anemone" He explained, holding up the vile. "These pedals are fatally toxic and their for you"

Ji stared at him with disbelief. "What?"

He continued. "You will die at the will of your own hands"

He sneered at her with disgust and stalked out of the room with out another word.

Zhen Ji stood, once as a great empress and now as an outcast. A portrait of Cao Pi hung on the wall; she glared at it with envy. With a blood-curdling scream, she picked up the Phoenix pin and heaving it across the room, she pierced the portrait in the heart. She turned and ran from the room, vile in hand.

The pin gradually dislodged from the wall and clattered to the floor, cracking the head of the Phoenix.

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Meanwhile, Wu Throne room…

"Lord Quan" Xun muttered, glancing up at the touchy emperor every now and then. "Perhaps this invitation is a risky decision"

Sun Quan was still irritable about Xun and although he had let his anger soften, he still shouldered Xun frequently. Even now, as Xun stood before the emperor on his throne advising that Wei was deceiving them, Quan was an unbreakable barrier.

"Please, sire" Xun pleaded. "The Wei prince ahs sent us a phony message using a pathetic subject as his vendetta. Please don't make a foolish mistake"

Sun Quan glared at the young strategist with disdain. "Are you questioning my logic, Xun?" He asked in a calm tone that contradicted the spiteful expression on his face.

Zhou Yu stood off to the side, watching attentively as he gave Xun glances to warn him that he was digging a bigger hole for himself. Meng was also present, standing unmoving next to Yu.

"…No, My Lord" Xun replied, staring at a design in the on the velvet carpeting. "But I'm suspicious that his majesty is in danger"

Quan caressed his blade that sat on his lap. "I will not be going alone" He glanced at Yu and Meng. "Zhou Yu and Lu Meng will accompany me" The two generals half bowed, listening obediently. "Also Gan Ning, Sun Shao, Cheng Pu, and Zhou Tai. All are going including my mother and the courtesans. It iis a celebration in which I support whole-heartedly"

Lu Xun sighed, it was inevitable that dissuading the stubborn emperor was out of the question. He was certain that he wasn't permitted to go to the Wei palace after putting Wu in a hazardous state of affairs. But he appeared to be the only one with common sense about the dilemma, excluding Yu, who seemed indecisive.

"And you will remain here and protect the palace, a job I'm still wary about placing on your shoulders" Quan scowled at him with a mistrusting expression. All who knew the Wu emperor knew that once you fell out of his thin trust, it was hell or perhaps impossible to regain it. Xun thought about trying to persuade Quan to allow him to attend the 'celebration' but it seemed unfeasible. But if a miracle didn't occur, Quan would fall into an unforgiving plight without a doubt. Perhaps it would serve him right, but Xun wouldn't wish such a penalty upon his emperor.

Zhou Yu appeared next to Xun, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Lord Quan, does not Lord Jin's summons strike you as peculiar? Why would Wei want the Wu assemblage to simply gain access to the palace without a more acceptable reason?"

Sun Quan hesitated with a blank expression. Zhou Yu was the only person who was able to persuade Quan to believe the possible.

Zhou Yu continued "I agree that perhaps Wei has only good intentions towards us. After all, Wei and Wu have been in respectable cooperation's for some time. But, I believe Xun has repaid his debts, why deprive him of attending? What is there for him to disrupt now?"

The emperor seemed to be calculating Yu's words now.

"Perhaps Yu is right" Meng murmured from where he stood.

Finally Quan submitted to defeat. "Very well, prepare to depart" He said gesturing to Lu Xun, who bowed gratefully.

A few moment later, in the corridor outside the Throne room, Xun discovered Lady Wu lingering by the doorway. She beheld a disgruntled look on her face, at her side stood Zhou Ying, hugging a doll close in her arms.

"Lady Wu" Xun said, gaining her attention as he bowed. "Is something ailing you?"

Lady Wu smiled slightly, placing her skeleton hand on Ying's shoulder. "I suppose my suspicions are being shared by you as well"

"Pardon me, My Lady?"

Lady Wu hesitated, glancing into the now empty Throne room and then at him. She whispered quietly to him. "There is something wrong and I'm afraid the Quan is making a bargain with Hell itself. If he pleases to travel into the hazardous lands of Wei with the generals then so be it. But demanding that we women also attend; preposterous!"

Xun nodded as he sighed, glancing down at the darkened face of Ying. The normally gleeful girl was normally vivacious, but she still wondered around in a seemingly mysterious trance.

"What will become of us, how will he defend himself along with us?" Wu seemed to be saying to herself. "Regardless, Xun, you are one of the few that are taking this seriously along with Zhou Yu. And please be on guard because if something should indeed happen…" She paused with a hint of fright in her tone as she glanced down at Ying. "Or lives are in the hands of people like you…"

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They're coming, all of them. My family and friends are coming to visit, which struck me as odd. I heard from the servants that Wu is coming for some sort of celebration, what could this celebration be for? War, perhaps? Whatever it is, I'm glad that I'll get to see you again.

I read entries in your journal everyday; some make me laugh while others make me sob. But it makes glad that you would honor me with your story and yet, I still believe you're trying to tell me something.

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**Yay, finally I'm done! This was a painstakingly boring chappie to write. But I hope you enjoyed anyways! **


	21. Goddess of the River Luo

**Wow, we've gotten pretty far in this fic! Warning this chappie made me cry T.T Enjoy **

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_**Chapter 21 **_

_**Goddess of the River Luo **_

Morning, the next day…

'_Entry forty-six, Winter-Start 196'_

_'They've taken her away; the doctors. They told me that my mother could no longer live at home anymore. She's been coughing more blood lately and her fevers have gotten more serious so the doctor suggested that she simply stay in hospice. I reluctantly agreed, but what of me? I can only live in my dwelling for a short while and I have no other family here and father is _

And there the entry ended with an incomplete statement. Lu Xun hadn't spoken of his father much during her time in Wu. He only told her that his father was no longer with him either, like her father; but what did that mean? Was Lu Jun simply missing or really _gone_?

Baffled, Xuan turned the page.

_'Entry forty-seven, Winter-Start 196' _

_'A woman visited the village today. She was in an elaborate carriage surrounded by soldiers in red. I think one of the villagers mentioned the capital. She was rather young and dressed in an expensive dress and she wasn't even worried about the dirt! She visited my home that evening and told me she was from the palace and she had come to talk of my mother. Her name was Lady Wu. She was very kind and told me that she and my mother were dear friends and she was sad when she heard of the illness. But when I woke this morning she was gone.' _

Unbelievable! Lady Wu, her grand mother had met Xun as I child. Xuan had wished Wu had told her about him, she imagined he was as cunning and clever as a child as he was now. She laughed quietly to herself, until she heard a commotion outside her door. She leaped to her feet and was quick to hide the journal in her cache behind the portrait.

"Her Majesty, the Empress arrives!" A servant said, just before the Wei Empress burst through the door.

Zhen Ji, in a frenzy of anger and grief, slammed the door shut behind her yelling "Go Away!" to the servants that followed in a high pitched shrill. There was an obedient clatter of feet outside the door as the servants scurried off. When she finally turned to Xuan, her face was red and her eyes drooped from lack of sleep.

"Lady Ji!" Xuan exclaimed, approaching Ji cautiously. "What has happened?"

Ji didn't reply at first. Instead she stomped past Xuan and towards the portrait that housed Xun's journal, Xuan's heart froze. But Ji didn't make a motion towards the cache, she simply glared at the portrait right next to it.

It was a painting of the Emperor, Cao Pi. He appeared surprisingly pleasant, no sign of deception or malice in his features. But to Ji, it must have been an act, because she reached for the burning candle on Xuan's desk. She abruptly held the blazing flame to the portrait, letting in burn the delicate painting.

And Zhen Ji began to laugh.

"Ji!" Xuan cried, dashing for the empress and pulling her away. Ji screeched when Xuan confiscated the candle and blew out the flame. Xuan grasped her blanket off the bed and threw it against the burning portrait until there was nothing but smoke emitting from the destroyed remains. Examining the remains, Xuan sighed to find it unfixable; the parchment was burnt and ruined and the melted paints drooled down the framing.

Sun Xuan shook her head. This was beginning to get old as Jin had tried the same scheme of burning the painting a week ago, but Xuan thwarted him as well.

Breathing heavily, Xuan turned to Ji finally. The woman was collapsed on the floor, her face in her hands. Kneeling by the empress, Xuan noticed that the woman wasn't wearing her Phoenix crown which marked her as the royal empress. Her hair was loose and flowing down in a rather tangled muddle. Her blue satin dress was wrinkled and in disarray. Her makeup was terribly smudged from her tears. It appeared that she had been crying even while she was applying the makeup.

"Why do you cry, mother?" Xuan asked formally, inclining her head forward at her mother-in-law. Ji wouldn't reply, but her insatiable cries diminished. Her hands covered her austere face from the world.

"Please, tell me" Xuan pleaded, placing her hand on Ji's shoulder.

"Damn him" Ji muttered through her hands. After a moment, she removed her hands "Damn this place!" She cried out loud enough for the spirits of those long since passed to hear.

Sun Xuan drew her hand back, frightened. She was stunned as Ji went on.

"This bastion of hell itself, why didn't I see the mistake I had made?!" Ji exclaimed, her eyes were bloody red and her tears stained her entire face. "Why was I so naïve too not perceive the blunder I made by coming here? My last husband, Yuan Xi, wouldn't have done this, but even he was stolen away from me and like a fool seeking fame and fortune I came here to live with that snake Cao Pi!"

She turned to Xuan. "And here" She said softly placing a damp hand under Xuan's chin. "It is about to happen again"

"Forgive me, but I don't understand" Xuan said, her body convulsing from fright and concern.

"But you are not like me at all" Ji continued, glaring away now. "You are not a fool. Don't become one, don't become me!"

"Lady Ji, perhaps I should call your servants" Xuan pointed out, standing. "You seem ill, perhaps medicine will—"

"I already have my medicine" Ji seethed, a wide grin of malice spread on her miserable face. "The medicine that was assigned to me"

Sun Xuan was struck by an eerie feeling, when she wasn't relieved that Ji had taken 'medicine'. She furrowed a brow "What medicine is this you speak of? Perhaps it isn't working"

"Oh, it's working" Ji replied quickly, she slowly returned her gaze to Xuan. "The botanical toxin, as we call it the 'flower of death'; Anemone"

Xuan felt her breath shorten; she had heard of this hazardous plant in her studies. Anemone, although beautiful, a deadly botanical flower that attacks the heart and causes paralysis of muscular tissue. It also affects one's sanity.

"Such a pretty flower, Anemone is" the empress chided, laughing with crude humor. "So beautiful and yet so deadly, reminds me of myself" She laughed at her unfunny joke.

"Ji!" Xuan knelt again, taking Ji's hands in her own. She felt tears trickling down her face, although the woman had been distant, she was one of very few friends Xuan had. "I must do something! What do I do?! Why did you do this?!"

Ji's voice was but a whisper now. "Pi told me to" she said watching Xuan's face change to one of disbelief. "But it was not he who made me comply with this. Fate told me that this was my chance. My chance to escape this wretched place we all call Wei. Have you not noticed? How every shadow holds an eerie feeling of insecurity? That at every turn beholds a sickening sensation of wickedness?"

Xuan had never felt such a feeling of loss and disbelief since her father died. The woman's words made little since to her. Indeed, she had felt the strange feeling of insecurity before; that this palace held morbid secrets that people kept bottled up in their hearts.

"For so long, I have felt like I was chained up in this place" Ji said quietly. "And Pi's orders to kill myself have made it clear; that it was true, I am a prisoner here, being used only for his entertainment. And now that I am no use…" Ji trailed off, her breathing was deep and forced now. She began to sweat. "Heed my words Xuan, this palace holds no happiness and no peace and it never will. But I know my son, Jin, is trying with all his power to change that. He doesn't want to be the prisoner that Wei has made him to be"

Sun Xuan felt the empress become limp in her hands as she tried to keep her fading consciousness. "I…know you hate him, Xuan. Jin's own hatred for Cao Pi has poisoned his heart, but please don't scorn him"

Xuan nodded feebly. She felt so unbearably helpless. "Ji…"

"But, Xuan, don't let the sorrow that has built up in this palace to turn you into what I am now; another dying spirit that was unable to escape"

Xuan felt her head spinning.

"but…" Ji murmured, staring into Xuan's eyes as if she were staring straight into the girl's heart. "He…truly loves you…"

Ji's forced breathing became silent and her eyes glazed over. Her hands that had clutched Xuan's shoulder for balance fell limply to her sides. Her body fell out of the grasp of Xuans hands and back onto the floor, with a lifeless 'thud'.

The former empress of Wei was dead; killed by her own hands to escape all her pain and sorrow.

Xuan was too shocked to cry, she stared at the unmoving body before her. She wished to believe that it wasn't happening, that she would wake up screaming in her had. But it was real.

Something rolled from Ji's gown pocket, a glass tube. It rolled all the way across the floor, which was strange since the floor was evenly balanced. It appeared that a strange essence propelled the vile. Like a ghost.

Xuan watched the vile roll and clanked against the wall where a portrait of Zhen Ji hung. She stood and walked towards the portrait and gazed at the face that was once Ji. She knelt and picked up the vile; inside was a rolled up piece of parchment and a single petal of Anemone.

She gently pulled out the parchment and unraveled it. In neatly written character it read:

'_I am certain that when these words are read, my freed spirit will have already abandoned my grieving body. But know that I am now happy; a feeling that I have not felt in so very long. I was once known as a woman of exquisite loveliness, with a complexion as clear as jade touched with a tender bloom of a flower petal, a woman indeed beautiful enough to ruin a kingdom' _

Xuan let the parchment flutter from her hands and onto the floor next to the anemone petal. She placed her head in her hands and finally cried so badly that she felt she couldn't breathe.

There was a commotion at the door as someone forced their way inside. It was Cao Jin "The servants told me there was screaming and—"

There was a long sickening pause for Xuan.

"Mother!" she heard Jin murmured as his quick footsteps could be heard crossing the room. Xuan turned finally, her entire being shaking as she watched Jin kneel by the body that had once been Ji. His hands were shaking as well and his expression was a cross of confusion and disbelief. He shook her a few times and screamed her name over and over in a way that made Xuan want to vomit.

He held her close in defeat as he closed his eyes, suppressing the tears.

He opened them finally to gaze at Xuan. She feared for a moment that he was blaming her for the death of Ji, but he didn't. Guards and hand maids charged in and surrounded the body.

"The empress of Wei is dead" Jin announced, despite how much it hurt. Some of the hand maids placed their hands over their mouths. "Take her body away and prepare for a proper burial"

In seconds, the guards gently lifted the body over their heads as if raising her body to heaven and left the room. The maids followed closely behind, bowing their heads as they left.

Cao Jin stood and stared at burnt portrait of Pi on the wall with an absentminded expression on his face. He finally glanced at Xuan, who was clutching the vile that held the wilting Anemone petal. He approached and kneeled before her, taking the vile from her grasp.

"Anemone" He said simply. "So this is the culprit, eh?"

He eyed Xuan, who cringed at his stare. "I-it was in Ji's pocket. S-she told me…" her voice trailed off as she glanced at the parchment lying on the ground.

"She told be that…the emperor…"

Jin's expression went from passive to raging as he stood and turned away to smash the glass tube against the wall across the room. It shattered and glass shards spewed her and there. He needed no further explanation to know that Pi had made Jin's life more of a living hell.

"That bastard!" Jin exclaimed, clenching his fists.

Xuan placed her head in her hands and felt the harsh tears drip from her fingers.

The raged prince glanced at her over his shoulder and his anger faded almost instantaneously. She was crying for him; for _him_. He turned to her knelt again, placing a hand on her cheeks and pulling her close in a tight embrace.

Xuan let her hands fall to her sides as she began to contemplate Ji's words again. _'I know you hate him, his own hatred for Cao Pi has poisoned his heart'_ she had said before her death. _'But he truly loves you' _

Xuan returned the prince's embrace. _'Perhaps he truly does…'_ she thought.

She could have sworn she had felt a tear on her neck. The portrait Ji above her, she could have sworn the woman in the painting was crying.

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**I swear that was crying when I wrote this. Y.Y Despite that Ji seemed like a snob, this made me picture her a human being. This chappie title 'The Goddess of the River Luo' was from the name Cao Zhi, Ji's secret lover, had given her after she died. He had a dream that he had seen Ji at the River Luo and dubbed her this title. **


	22. Submission

**T.T I MISS JI!! –Sux thumb- ZOMG!! I updated early XP**

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**Chapter 22 **

**Submission**

The next morning…

She was buried today in a snow covered meadow of Winter Chrysanthemums, her favorite flower; a bloom that symbolizes austere happiness and remarkable beauty. Here her spirit would rest with incessant serenity for all eternity. She would never again be burdened with the heartache she had felt for so long.

But

Others weren't so fortunate

The funeral ceremony itself was a bleak one; the heavens were dreary with gray winter skies and the air was cold and hostile. The minister spoke for the majority of the ceremony. And Jin remained preoccupied as he glared from his father and his mother's body wrapped in thick golden wraps lying atop a golden stand. Sun Xuan wasn't at all surprised that the emperor attended, plastering a grave expression on his face. Lady Guo was also present with a mournful look of her own.

When the emperor finally took a stand and gave a meticulous speech he was remarkably articulate explaining that the late empress was troubled and that was the cause of her untimely death. Sun Xuan had to keep a tight grip on his arm to keep him from making a scene he'd regret.

Jin would glance at her with an irritated expression, but looking upon her grave face, he would submit in defeat.

It had only been a few hours since and Jin already showed changes.

Cao Ji had been excessively gloomy lately; something Xuan couldn't blame him for. It appeared that his mother was the only one who was really there for him. And now he had no one which made Xuan feel guilty. He was also exceptionally distant; he'd be nearby but his mind would not. When this happened he would plaster dismal or cross expressions on his face until someone would disrupt his daydreaming.

By that evening, Jin came to Xuan with a request she had tried to avoid for a long time…

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Earlier that morning, on the main road…

It had been but a day and the journey to Wei was still yet far from over.

Lu Xun was now on his second journey to Wei still strung on the thoughts that something terrible would happen. To him it seemed impractical to uproot an entire empire and advent them half way across china for a ludicrous reason; an unborn child. Or...that's what Xun wanted to believe. It puzzled him that never in his life had he been attracted to anyone and in an abrupt turn of events everything comes crashing down with the arrival of a woman.

_'Love works in strange ways'_ His mother had said once before she died. It was an expression that she had used whenever Xun asked her about her strange love for a man who never showed her any attention, his father. He had never understood what she meant.

And now, her words were starting to make sense. And if her words were true, then love was working his heart into terrible knots as he considered his plight more and more.

But what if it was true? What if Xuan was really having this Wei demon's child? What then? And if it was, he would surely lose his sanity.

He discovered it hard to picture her with Jin. The thought of lust driven intimacy made him ill.

Now he was riding forth to Wei again to find the truth; a truth that would mean his happiness. Looking around, he observed the several carriages, within were the women. Lady Wu Guotai was in the most elaborate one ahead of him and his steed. She too was probably contemplating these difficult circumstances.

Inside the following carriage sat Lady Sun Shang Xiang. She had once had the same worries about Xuan as her mother had, but now she was enchanted by the thought a niece. She, like the rest, was delighted.

The third carriage housed the two Qiao's and little Zhou Ying. Da appeared delighted, but her demeanor was more calm and as a matter of fact, triumphant. Xun thought about the day the elder Qiao scolded him about 'poisoning Xuan with his affection'. She was still standoffish around him, but he didn't let her contempt defeat him.

Xiao was her usual self; hyper and oblivious to everything. She was also excited about 'the baby', but she was cautious about Wei so her thoughts half matched Xun's. Ever the incident with Chibi, she had never trusted Wei. She was spiteful towards the kingdom and Cao Cao for portraying her as a prize that the former Wei emperor could have whenever he pleased. She had called him the 'Narcissist Pig of China' soon after Chibi ended.

Zhou Yu rode nearby his wife's carriage. He was very protective of her and his daughter and ever since Chibi he barely let her leave the palace gates. But he wouldn't disobey the emperor's demands so now he was alert and focusing on everything around them.

He truly loved her and would do anything to protect her and his daughter.

And he had everything Xun wanted.

Sun Quan rode ahead of everyone. Xun knew his real objective of going to Wei, which was to strengthen the bond between Wu and Wei that was already made by using Xuan as a pawn. Although it wasn't necessary, he even had Da Qiao's consent to marry off his own niece for military purposes.

He did the same with his own sister and didn't hesitate to do it a second time with Xuan.

Using a woman, or another human being for that matter, as a source of power disgusted Xun, but being a loyal officer, he didn't bring up his disputes with Quan. He was already in a squabble with him.

It would take two weeks to reach Wei Zhou Yu had estimated. Twice the time it had taken Xun and Ning, but the large sum of people and numerous stops for the women, horses, and soldiers meant a prolonged journey northwest from Jian Ye to Xu Chang.

They still had a way to go and Xun still had to rummage a new plan.

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That evening, Xuan and Jin's chambers…

"Xīn ài" Jin murmured tenderly approaching Xuan who was seated on at her vanity chair brushing her hair. He loomed over her and placed his cheek on her head, closing his eyes. He wrapped his arms around her chest. "wǒ ài nǐ"

Xuan hesitated and thought of Ji's words again. "I…love you too" She had never admitted those words to him before and they stung her lips as they escaped her mouth.

"You know I've waited for you for a long time" Jin said furtively. "Need you evade me any longer?"

Xuan felt her heart speed up into a rapid rate and her face began to feel hot despite the winter ambiance. Should she go against Zhen Ji and refuse him again? Or finally submit to her duties as a wife? What of Xun? She felt as if any decision she make would mean betraying someone, even her own pride and faith.

"I know you are afraid" Jin murmured quietly. "But…"

Sun Xuan placed the brush she was holding on the table. She'd held it so tightly that it made her hand sweat and left the brush handle damp. She stared into the mirror before her. Jin's face in the mirror was a grave one. He was still mourning his loss and it rendered him vulnerable. And why should she give into him after what he did?

"Your father…" Xuan muttered suddenly. Cao Jin opened his eyes and stared into her reflection in the mirror. "What are you going to do to him?"

He hesitated, frowning. He released her and turned away, she had apparently pierced his anger with the question. He didn't respond, but Xuan could see his fists clenching in the mirror just as they had when she told Jin that his malicious father killed him mother.

"Father? I have no father" Jin finally said crossly. "That man is _not_ my father. I couldn't save my mother, but I won't let him hurt you. And besides, I've been planning plenty of ways to remove troublesome burdens like him and his conceited little alley rat"

Xuan knew he spoke of Lady Guo. Xuan had never spoken to the woman personally and in all honesty she had no intentions to. She felt the woman was just as guilty as Cao Pi. It was wrong what he did to Ji. But there was nothing Xuan, Jin or anyone could do about it. And Pi knew that.

"Are you…going to kill him?" Xuan shuddered, turning the chair.

Jin turned back to her. "Why are you asking these questions, Xuan?" He reached for her hand and pulled her out of the chair, pressing her body to have. "I don't want to talk about him, I don't want to talk at all"

Xuan felt her heart race again as Jin forced her lips to his. She fought him for a moment as he pulled the hairpins from her hair and letting them fall to the ground with loud _clangs_.

She felt sensations of panic wave through her body as he untied her silk belts with a vehement force get inside. She felt her lone robe loosen and her exposed skin become cold. She placed her hands on his bare shoulders and pushed him away, but he resisted and pulled her back to him with force. She felt the night of the rape replaying itself all over again.

"Stop, Jin!" Xuan shrieked, nearly losing balance. She clenched her robe to herself as she tasted a slight flavor of liquor in her mouth. He'd been drinking that explained it all. She glared at him and was surprised to see an apologetic expression on his face. He placed his hands on his face.

"Xuan…" He murmured through his hands and it sounded like he was sobbing. "I'm so sorry…I shouldn't have let myself be seduced by alcohol…I'm so sorry for everything"

Sun Xuan held her breath for a moment. He was a wreck; suffering the loss of his mother and betrayal of his father. He was truly alone and she pitied him. She approached him slowly and wrapped her arms around him. He lowered his hands and let her place her head on his chest. She could hear his heart racing and tried to deduce if it was the alcohol that made it race or her abrupt affection.

"I've decided to forgive you" Xuan murmured, hoping it would heal some of his grief. "For doing what you did so long ago" It did seem like an eternity that he had taken her innocence, but still the pain in her heart lingered.

She heard Jin heave a sigh of relief and brush the bangs out of her face. She felt him slide his hands beneath the robe and gently caressed her back. She nuzzled her head into his neck and hoped that she wouldn't regret this night.

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**O.O o XO –dodges rocks and torches- WAH!! XD Wow Jin is quite the actor –shifty eyes- Sorry for the dopey ending, I was tired when I wrote it, but I hope you like it anyways. –sigh- The last chappie was better. lol **

**Chinese Pinyin **

**Xīn ài** Dear; dearest; beloved

**wǒ ài nǐ** I love you


	23. Return of the Ruffians

**-Sweat drops- Okay, I have a new goal which is too focus on Xun's personality/story for while. Multiple people have brought my attention to him and apparently, he's a softie. I kinda agree tho XD –hugs Xun- I'll try to fix that in this chappie. XD Enjoy and Yes, it will involve some ass kicking on his part, pardon my French. Lol **

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**Chapter 23 **

_**Return of the Ruffians **_

The next morning, the main road…

"Keep your eyes open!" Sun Quan announced, turning his steed to face his followers. "Bandit territory"

Several officers and soldiers nodded, heeding his warning. Others passed him a half heeding glance as if they were thinking that bandits were no match for them. How untrue that was. The main road had been had an unusual variety of bandit attacks. There had been word that a similar attack had occurred during Cao Jin's journey back to Wei. But the incident was soon forgotten after messages were sent of their safe return.

It was a strange conspiracy indeed. There had been reports sent to Wu explaining events in which travelers had been found mauled in ways no animal could commit. Other accusations described citizens going missing, even from within Wu territory. But bandit invasions on Wu grounds had been sparse and uncommon, so Sun Quan had sent small units of recruits to remedy the issue. They would return supposedly successful, but some recruits who had left for the mission wouldn't come back.

Lu Meng pressed his gallant white steed up next to Xun's chestnut mare. "Xun, what are your concerns about the bandits"

Lu Xun glanced at his long time friend and quirked a brow and said. "It has been unusual" he admitted, peering at the road-side trees. There were dark shadows of the trees and little luminosity breached the dense tree limbs of the skeleton-like canopy; an ideal place for a bandit in dark garments to hide without being discovered.

"But I wonder if they would shy away from attacking an entire army" He denounced, slanting his head. "But the bolder they could be than I suspect. Being alert is the only plan for now, I suppose"

Meng nodded in agreement. "What have you heard of them?"

"One of my units reported that they allegedly have a name for the horde; known as the _Shé_, the serpent" Xun explained. He had noticed that the name wasn't plural. "From their name it appears that they work as one whole force"

"I see" Meng replied, perplexed. "They may be more organized than we can imagine"

"Xun" Another familiar voice sounded from behind along with vehement hoof beats. Zhou Yu's Bay appeared next to Xun. He held up his hand and in it was a blue cloth. It was the remnant of what might have been a shirt or scarf. Yu smoothed the material out in his hand; an eminent image of a snake like creature was sewn into the fabric.

"I found this own the roads edge" Yu explained, "It is brittle from the cold weather"

"It corresponds with the name of the bandit mob you explained, Xun" Meng pointed out with a persuaded nod.

"Indeed" Xun concurred, taking the fabric from the elder strategist and observing the broken edge of the material. "This validates the theory that there _is _some-such gang or horde that has shaped. We still have a distance to cover, perhaps four days, before we arrive in Wei"

Yu paused to contemplate and glanced at the woods nearby with suspicion. "That fabric is a missing piece of something then the rest of it is still out there…or perhaps around here"

Then abruptly, there was rustling in the underbrush soon accompanied by the shrill of a woman's scream.

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Meanwhile, the Wei Palace; The Prince's chamber…

Stirring in the midst of an agonizing headache, Sun Xuan opened her eyes to a lethargic morning. Her body felt stiff as the feeling of consciousness returned and as she sat up, her spine felt like it had been replaced with a stiff, rigid stick right off the stripped trees outside. She discovered that she was naked, with her dress she had worn the night before in a limp heap on the floor some ten feet away.

As Xuan contemplated her crumbled dress on the floor to her own aches in her head, back, and other unmentionable places; she realized that she had finally given up her chastity. And then the appalling recollections of what had happened with the Wei prince came flooding back in rapid, repulsive flow.

She remembered the heated scent of flesh, writhes of stimulated pleasure, and fulfilled lusts of the skin. The indulgence of the sin repelled her with disgust now that the deplorable deed was done.

She could feel her father frowning up this disgrace even as she stood onto the floor with a hangover of bleariness instead than alcohol.

Where ever he was, Cao Jin was treading around the damned palace with a haughty, exultant grin on his face. Somehow he had wrapped her around his finger and manipulated Xuan for his own gain.

As Xuan fell to her knees in shame, several impassive chamber-maids poured uninvited into the room. Some scampered towards her with a thick robe to conceal her exposed body. Others went directly towards the contaminated bed, ripping the tainted bed-sheets off and disappearing immediately. The servants that sought to her helped or forced her to a standing position. She desired to scream at and assault them for their unwelcome intrusion, but didn't bother.

She beheld a defeated and disgraced expression on her face as they accompanied her to the bathhouse.

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Back on the main road…

Blood of a Wu combatant was splattered against the cold tree trunk on the roadside. Soldiers scrambled in and out of the skeleton, leafless trees in frantic confusion. Bandits scattered, some in organized groups, onto the main road holding rigid hook-like weapons before them. There exotic masks concealed there identities and deep blue fighting garments, sporting the vicious serpent on their scarves. The seemed inhuman, entities of another world.

But there was human flesh beneath these frightening demonic artisans in blue. Beating hearts of the unfortunate were pierced by the nimble Wu generals when caught off guard.

Soldiers surrounded the emperor, brandishing there swords and javelins. Sun Quan was raising his broad sword and shouting commands repetitively, trying to sustain order. A Wu carriage had fallen and the other two were being assaulted by the _Shé. _Unattended horses were spooking in a skittish attempt to escape.

Zhou Yu was still mounted on his horse, circling his wife's carriage that had yet to be destroyed. He was successful in repelling any bandits from breaching the carriage. From within; Da, Xiao, and Zhou Ying were clutching one another, praying to the heavens above that they wouldn't be harmed.

Elsewhere, Gan Ning was standing with his back to a crumbled carriage. The roof had collapsed and the wheels had been crushed under the cabin. Sun Shang Xiang, who had been sleeping inside when the incident ensued, was now in a fighting stance by the ex-pirate. Several bandits unaware of the princess' power raised their weapons towards her; each falling to the frozen ground with deep gnashes in their stomachs, writhing in anguish of her ruthless Chakrams.

Ning remained close by her, decapitating several more bandits with a vivacious laugh. He sent her a thumbs up, receiving a set of rolling eyes.

But the main focus of the bandits attack was the empress. Bandits had wretched the door open, and were currently attempting to infiltrate the interior where Lady Wu sat alert, but calm. Lu Meng was mounted on his horse in front of the carriage entrance, intercepting the _Shé _with swift blows to their faces, cracking the unusual masks and revealing bloodied faces. He would face the empress with reassuring glances.

Huang Gai was on the opposing side of the carriage, defending the window. In hefty bags next to his feet, were bags full of bombs being lit and tossed into the nearby forests. Debris of obliterated trees and bodies of hidden bandits were being spewed into the air along with corrupted sounds of explosions. Wu soldiers carried off bags of these explosives into the forests up and down the roadside, planting bags filled with lit bombs that ignited in eminence explosions of four to five bombs at a time.

Sun Quan was circling his mother's carriage as well, slaughtering bandits that were able to approach without being blown away by the blasts.

"Stand down! Stand down!" Quan would shout to them repeatedly, despite that he was planning to slay until none of this so called gang of ruffians remained. The bandits ignored him none the less, sprinting in abnormal speeds towards him.

Lu Xun was dismounted from his mare that was galloping to and fro from the forests edge in a timid fright of the blades and fiery explosions. His regiment of sturdy soldiers were scattered in small groups all around him. He was outnumbered, but the number of bandits was quickly depleting.

Revolving a freshly honed saber in each hand, Xun gestured his aggressive enemies to make an initial move on him. Arrogantly, they did, swinging their razor-sharp hooks in a slicing motion. Some moved quickly to either side of him.

A first bandit made a vehement lung at his abdomen, missing entirely and bashing head first into a tree that Xun had purposefully stood in front of for this reason. A second and third ruffian swung simultaneously at his head, Xun dodged consequentially resulting in the two decapitating one another. Blood spewed from the headless figures, splattering onto his skin as they fell to the ground.

Now hordes of blue sprinted in their strange way, brandishing identical weapons at him. Soldiers in red clashed with the ruffians in blue, splaying crimson blood onto the ground at their feet. Xun boldly swung both sabers at the throats of the nearby _Shé _members, shredding the blue scarves along with the icon of the serpent menace.

Swinging low, he sliced the bandits at the knee caps, sending blood and them falling backwards in heaps; all crying in anguish by the wound that they had hoped would have just killed them, but didn't. Amputated legs were splayed everywhere, some still writhing with final movements before stopping entirely.

Suddenly, Xun felt a piercing agony breaching the flesh at his left side. He retained a blistering cry as he fell to one knee, reaching back to stab the impudent bandit the stomach. He forced himself to keep standing as a few more foes sprint rushed towards him. The saber in his left hand tumbled from his hand and onto the ground as he clutched his bleeding hip. He winced as he made a forceful swipe at two oncoming bandits. The vertical attack sliced the two upwards from the throat to the center of their masked faces. They felled into limp masses on the ground.

"Xun!" Lu Meng called, galloping towards the injured, young strategist, lunging his Halberd into the face of a bandit. Clusters of the _Shé _were surrounding Xun, some being eminently stabbed in the chest by the young man and others were scurrying back towards the forests to be unexpectedly caught in an explosion of bombs that ignited.

Meng dismounted the horse before it was even halted and jerked it at a bandit that was preparing to swing at Xun from behind. Fatigued bandits backed away before retreating into the still standing trees. Xun dropped the second saber and clutched both hand to his side. The large tip of one of the hooks was lodged some four inches into his side.

Xun wrapped a hand tightly around the exposed region of the broken hook. With a fervent jerk and yelp, he dislodged the metal piece and tossed it away. He placed both hands around the wound that was dousing his stomach and leg in his own blood.

"Hang on, Xun" Meng said supportively as he placed Xun right arm over his shoulder. He placed the young strategist on the back of the horse and lead him back towards the rest of the generals.

By that evening, the Wu army had slain some six hundred members of the _Shé. _Unfortunately, the incident resulted in Wu losing a quarter of the foot soldiers, half of the cavalry division, and a critically injured general to the bandit gang.

Wu had taken a critical punch from the bandit attack, but it was too late to return to the Wu palace so they would continue towards Wei.

That evening, they made camp beside the Yangtze river, surrounding it with alerted soldiers, insuring that the incident would reiterate itself. Slowly, soldiers that were still living were hauled into the camp and treated.

The road was completely reddened by crimson blood and hundreds of bodies of both good and bad lay sparsely around the path. The stench of rotting and burning human flesh engrossed the night air. Debris of all kinds was also lying amongst the fallen; massive gaps of forest ground was uprooted and destroyed by the blasts of bombs. Hundreds of peach trees wouldn't be blossoming that Spring, they would be replaced with decomposed skeletons of the dead.

Within the camp, Xun lay in the infirmary tent, glaring at the flame of a candle next to him. His injury was treated by Zhou Yu himself and stitched to close the exposed tissue; all done while Xun was conscious.

"Quan isn't pleased at all" Yu said, while stitching Xun's wound, uninterested if the young strategist would hear him though his own thoughts of pain. "He is looking to our acknowledgement to figure out what the cause of all this was"

"This is a major offense to the kingdom" Xun pointed out between irks of agony. "Such an organized mob of numbers like that isn't likely without a source. Someone has formed this, but whom?"

Yu shook his head as he cut the remaining stitch. "I'm not certain, perhaps consulting the Wei intelligence for more evidence"

Xun scowled at the flame at said, contemplating Wei's possibly true intentions. "Or…the culprit"

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**Finally I finished it! –sweat drop- Sorry for the strange images, that probably gave you XD lol I had plenty of them as I typed this. Hope you liked! Till next time! **


	24. The Phoenix Hath Risen

**XDD I was excited I started this chappie early! WOOT!! So I've heard that a lot of ppl say they hate Jin. Well I've heard **_**everyone**_** say that XD lol Well, sadly, you're all going to hate him even more. Not to give anything away X3 Here's chappie number 24! ENJOY! **

**Precaution: This chappie contains mild Yaoi. **

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**Chapter 24 **

_**The Phoenix hath risen **_

Evening by the Yangtze River, the Wu encampment…

Corpses of the deceased were still being drug towards the camp and thrown into massive trenches. Later they were to be burned, but Zhou Yu wouldn't be able to be present to witness the sickening scene of scorching human flesh. He remembered hardly being able to watch the flames engulf the Wei fleet at Red Cliffs, where burning bodies dropped into the water. He shook off the terrible memory.

Treading back towards his quarters after the sudden surgical procedure on Lu Xun, he glanced towards Da Qiao's tent where he could see his wife leaning in and out of the tent aperture, watching corpses being carried by. He also noticed his daughter, Zhou Ying, struggling to catch a glimpse, but Xiao would push her back.

Yu decided to let the two just stay where they were to avoid coming in contact with the infectious carcasses. He entered his quarters, with his head low and sighed.

"What's with the long face, Yu?" A familiar voice he hadn't heard in a long time said. Zhou Yu's head snapped up, nearly collapsing when he discovered a long lost friend sitting lazily on his bed.

Sun Ce flashed a wide grin and laughed at the astonished expression on Yu's face; which was unusual from his commonly stoic expression. Ce leaped from the bed with abnormal swiftness. He wore a snow white robe and that made him appear luminous in the faint candlelight. His face was completely impervious to age and sickness, unlike the day of his death.

Ce seemed completely unreal, but here he was; standing before Yu as if alive again.

"Ce…," Was all Yu could force from his lips. It was completely unbelievable, impossible that Ce was here. Was his sanity finally diminishing?

"Why are you lookin' at me like that?" The ghost-like image of Ce asked with Ce's usual improper way speaking. He reached out and brushed Yu's long bangs aside, watching Yu stagger slightly at the realistic touch.

"You're freaking me out!" Ce shouted and then laughed playfully. He straightened up and leaned his face towards Yu's with a meaningful stare. "Cat got your tongue?"

Yu abruptly took Ce in a tight embrace, as if to prevent him from leaving again. "I don't believe this" Yu said, noticing that Ce felt so real. He was really there. Yu wasn't dreaming this.

Ce returned Yu's embrace, placing a hand on the back of strategist's long hair. "I know" He murmured, "I hated leaving you all like I did, I really tried to stay as long as I could, but it was to hard so I…just let go"

Yu frowned; reminiscing to the day fate had stolen a very important person from him.

"But everything was alright afterwards" Ce pointed out with a small spark of hope, "Except you never got over it, huh?" He added, knowing Yu's every thought and regret from the moment of his death.

Yu moved away from him, placing his hands on Ce's cheeks. "Why are you here?" He asked quietly. He felt past emotions reveal themselves again.

Ce grimaced, hanging his head. "For the worst, I'm afraid" he admitted with a hopeless sigh. "I know my presence here is going to revive a lot of sadness and defy heaven, Zhou Yu, but…" He clenched a fist, "he's going to kill my daughter"

Yu stared into the man's eyes. "Who?" He watched complete fear befall on the deceased man's features. "Who's going kill Xuan?"

"Jin" He seethed the name, his eyes narrow. "And I can't do a damn thing about it!" He exclaimed before clutching Yu's shoulders. "And Quan, like a complete idiot, is taking my wife, your wife, and everyone right into the damn Wei snake's trap!"

Yu remained silent, picturing the death of everyone he loved, excluding Ce who had already been taken from his grasp.

"I love you, Yu, but I don't want you to die if it means being here with me" Ce murmured, hanging his head lower. He let his hands fall to his sides and frowned, completely helpless. It was like watching his family die right in front of him, but a transparent barrier kept him from saving them.

Yu, for once in his life, didn't know what to do. He couldn't go against the emperor, but he couldn't let his friend down and let his niece die. "Ce, I'll find a way" Yu muttered with thin reassurance, "I was unable to save you, but I won't let anyone else die"

"Yu, you've punished yourself time and time again for my death when you know you couldn't have done anything," Ce said sorrowfully but firmly. "I never blamed you or anyone" Ce added, shaking off the thought of Yu Ji, the one who eminently caused Ce's death.

"I know that" Yu added, hanging his head. "But if I let another person die, because I wasn't there, then—"

"Damn it, Yu!" Ce shouted, pulling Yu into a tight embrace. He felt unreal tears trickling down his ghost like face. "That's enough tormenting yourself over the past, I'm alright now! It's Xuan that needs your help! Wu needs your help!"

Yu rarely ever cried over anything; he didn't cry when Sun Jian was killed and he didn't cry when he was forced to request Zhuge Liang's assistance at Chibi. But he cried now for the first time since Ce's death.

"And jeez Yu, it's not like I'm asking you to save everyone alone," Ce said, quirking a brow, "I've always thought Sun Xuan should have married Lu Xun, but I listened to Da Qiao, because I didn't know what else to do. I mean, what did I know about etiquette and crap like that?"

Yu was forced to smile at Ce's question. It was true; the Little Conqueror had never known a thing about etiquette.

Suddenly Yu heard Xiao's loud shouting outside the tent.

"That's Xiao" Ce said, pointing out the obvious. "I guess I have to go, Yu"

Yu frowned, but knew that he couldn't stay forever.

"And Yu, I know you and Xun will figure out something," Ce said reassuringly, moving away from the hug. He grinned, "And no matter what, I'll never blame you, you got that?"

Yu smiled. "I got it" He said rather dryly. "I won't let you down"

He placed a hand on Yu's cheek before turning away and walking towards the wall of the tent. Gradually his form began to fade into oblivion and Yu could see him no longer.

"Yu!" Xiao said, bursting through the door. The bright smile upon her face faded when she discovered her husband just standing there with a blank expression on his face. "Yu…?" She approached him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Is something wrong?"

Yu looked down at her finally and smiled. "No, Xiao, nothing's wrong" He said, placing her in a tender hug, but he knew that something terrible was at hand.

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Meanwhile, the Wei palace…

The Wei prince sauntered briskly down the halls of Wei with a jubilant smile of triumph. Each individual he passed, whether it is an esteemed officer or a simple chamber maid, received an affable salutation from the blissful prince. Some knew the source of his newly found optimism.

That morning, he'd woken with an excruciating headache. Lying next to him, asleep, was his perturbed wife. Looking upon her appealing, though lethargic face he knew he had manipulated her perfectly. Creating a net using his sorrow and angst he had enmeshed her in an inescapable snare. Inevitably taking the chastity she had reserved for Lu Xun completely.

This was the motive for his contentment today.

He ambled into the Wei conference room where the other generals awaited. His clique of anger driven officers was vastly growing; Cao Zhi, the repugnant brother if Cao Pi and Cao Jin's uncle was amongst them. Cao Zhi had just recently joined in Cao Jin's secretive plot because of the late Wei empress' early demise. The two had been lovers, but Cao Pi's preference for another was too intolerable for Zhen Ji to overlook because it endangered her repute as empress. Since her death, like Jin, Zhi's hate for the Wei emperor was stronger than ever. Enough for him to be pushed over the edge.

"Report" Jin demanded, approaching the table in the center of the room. One of the numerous maps of China was spread on the tabletop. This particular one had a winding line extending from the Wu capital of Jian Ye to the Wei capital of Xu Chang. It represented the distance the Wu army would travel.

Cao Ren loomed over the diagram and drew a finger along the parchment until he covered one fourth of the line starting at where Jian Ye was indicated. He glanced up at the prince. "Our spies have reported that the Wu army has traveled approximately twenty-five _li_ from the Wu capital. With so much cargo including carriages, women, and supplies, we can't anticipate them to pace any quicker"

"It doesn't matter" Jin reassured his generals, who watched him intently. "Once they've arrived, they will be isolated. The final factors of our ploy are commencing"

The officer bent in respectable bows and assumed there preparations. Jin left the room almost as quickly as he had arrived, but he still had another obstacle that served as a threatening barrier between his goal of conquest and himself. But he wouldn't let that dampen his spirits, not tonight. He ambled back to his chambers. Letting himself inside, he discovered Xuan sitting on the bed with her knees drew to her chest.

"Good evening, Love" Jin said in a tantalizing tone. Watching her with a stone gaze, he crossed the room towards the adjacent side room that led to the wardrobe. He removed his heavy armor clad and laid it gently on a lofty rack. Jin removed the under chemise and tossed it carelessly across the wardrobe for a chamber maid to discover later. He changed into satin breeches, preparing for slumber.

But Cao Jin hesitated about leaving the room. He stared down at his hands and arms; stiletto scars swathed his olive skin in repulsive, cluttered permanent blemishes. These were the remnants of a vindictive upbringing; unforgiving, everlasting memories of the cruelty brought upon him by his father. Abused and neglected by Cao Pi, Jin lived a life of bitterness for all.

Short-tempered and merciless when intoxicated, Pi would punish anyone he pleased. Only a young child, Jin would tend to get in his father's way and fall victim to an abusive knife blade on his hands and forearms as he attempted to defend himself. And now, the one who had caused him so much pain had murdered the only person in his life who ever cared; his mother.

Jin clenched his fists, observing the scars stretching with the flexing of his skin. He would have the taste of retribution at his lips soon enough. As he stood in the darkness of the room, he felt a sickly sensation of admonition befall on him. He lifted his eyes, watching the walls around him.

Then he noticed a glinting illumination upon his hanging armor.

Abruptly, he spun around, grasping the slender wrist of his dejected wife. In her hand was a filed dagger pointing downward over his chest. Xuan groaned under the fierce pressure on her wrist and eventually dropped the blade to the floor.

Cao Jin stared into her eyes intently waiting for an explanation. He said nothing.

"For so long" Xuan scoffed, her arm shaking under Jin's tight grip. "I have lived in this damned place and my happiness has withered with the passing of everyday. You promised me happiness and I was right to have never trusted you with that vow!"

Scowling, Jin pushed her vehemently against the contiguous wall, pinning her wrists against it. Xuan cried out as her back crashed against the wall with force. She slumped forward, but her body was suspended. She turned her head away as Cao Jin leaned his face towards hers. She felt his warm breaths against her cheek.

"You want happiness?" Jin said with venom that was nearly inaudible. "You and I share the same desire, but fortunately for you, you have experienced happiness" Releasing one of her wrists, he clutched her delicate face, digging his nails in and forcing her to look him in the face. "I have _never_ been truly happy, why should you be?!"

He freed her and she fell to her knees in a crumbled mess. Cao Jin stalked to and fro around the wardrobe, punching walls and ripping delicate fabric in his rage. He paused finally, listening to his wife's quiet cries of grief.

Slowly he turned towards her, staring upon her. He watched her prop her back against the wall, placing her head in her hands. Mixed emotions of compassion and derision for her stirred up within him in a sickly mystifying jumble. She had had everything he wanted and everything he may never have.

Shifting across the room, Cao Jin knelt next Sun Xuan. She leaned to the side, removing her hands from her face and glaring at him with dark eyes. He noticed that her cheek was bleeding leisurely from where his nails had punctured her fragile skin. He searched the room and noticed a shredded piece of one of Xuan's suede Cheongsams.

He leaned over the floor and stretched his arm out, taking the worthless piece of fabric in his hand. He wrapped it around his fingers and reached towards her face, but she shifted away more. She swatted a standoffish hand at him.

"Stop moving" Jin ordered, leaning over her and pressed the cloth against her face, coagulating the blood. He held the other side of her face to keep her still. She glowered at him, unappreciatively. She let her hands fall to the floor, powerlessly and her expression changed to one on of shame. She stared at his scarred arms with wide eyes.

"Your arms…they're scarred" She murmured, stating the gloomy obvious. She reached out and drew her fingers along the damaged skin on his arm.

Cao Jin writhed under her repulsed touch and drew his arms back, standing. He dropped the blood stained cloth on the floor and averted his eyes. New blood dribbled from her cheek, but she seemed unnoticed.

"What happened?" She asked almost inaudibly, her eyes were wide and attentive on the answer.

Jin shook his head, denying her. Instead he trekked uncomfortably from the wardrobe and ultimately out of the room. He treaded aimlessly down the hall before coming to a complete stop in the middle of a dark corridor. He clenched and unclenched his fists, feeling his tolerance about to break. He looked down at his scarred arms with disdain.

"Is something troubling you?" A tantalizing, hateful voice asked. Jin whipped around, discovering his father propped against a column. "Oh, my poor pathetic son, I am ashamed"

Cao Jin scowled, gritting his teeth. "You should be!"

"Do not shout at me" Pi ordered, standing straight and approaching Jin with a sadistic smile. "You are such a disgrace. You were my most worst bargain"

Cao Jin's shoulders started to quiver with unbearable rage.

"But killing your mother," He paused to grab a lock full of his son's hair. "Was my greatest"

Suddenly a large object, shaped like a hook spun towards the Pi in a rapid spinning motion. It impaled him in the chest.

Cao Pi eyes widened has death came over him. He stared into Cao Jin's eyes and said nothing.

"And now" Jin smiled with malice as Cao Pi fell forwards onto his son's chest before sliding onto the floor. "For my mother, for my honor, and for all of Wei; I will fight for salvation"

A bandit dressed in blue appeared from within the shadows, he pulled the hook from Pi's back. On his scarf was a serpent. He stood before Jin and the dying emperor.

"In my hands, I will completely remove sorrow of Wei from history and in its place will be happiness; a shining future" Cao Jin's smile widened as he watched Pi's eyes glaze over. "And the Phoenix will rise again"

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**So who thinks Jin has completely lost his marbles? –raises hand- lol I tried not to get to intense with the yaoi, but it played into the storyline quite nicely. AND WE GOT TO SEE CE AGAIN!! WOOT! XDD Hope you all liked! **


	25. The Tiger's Plea

**Ugh! I am so disappointed in myself ---- But finally I have updated for you all, sorry for the wait. **

**Disclaimer: yea, I haven't done this in awhile, but I do own Sun Xuan, the prince everyone hates, and other OC's that I have forgotten about XD **

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**Chapter 25 **

**The Tiger's Plea**

Noon, three days from the Wei Palace, the main road…

The warmth of spring was beginning to loosen the harsh grip of winter and with each passing day the sun would shine its radiant glow a little more. Warmth returned like a long lost friend and the icy clouds of snow gradually began to vanish into water. But evenings were still near intolerable for an ill-fated guardsman who was placed on sentinel patrol.

Once the Wu military, or perhaps what remained of it, surpassed the outpost station to the Wei territory, the endless road stretched on ahead of them with no end in sight. Since the incident with the peculiar bandits, provisions were becoming meager and cannibalism wasn't uncommon for soldiers who were neglected food, but the Wu military couldn't risk losing more soldiers.

"Lord, we must find food soon" Lu Meng told the Wu Emperor, hearing his own stomach rumble, "The bandits who fled pilfered much of our provisions and now we have almost naught"

Sun Quan faltered, glancing over his shoulder at his famished army. He himself was nearly starving, but he sought to evade stopping to rest and recuperate as much as possible. He would drive the army onward to reach the Wei capital hastily.

"We cannot stop now, we must go onward" Quan replied reluctantly, "We are moving too slow as it is"

"But, Sire, we cannot starve the men" Meng said firmly, watching a soldier chafe his forehead dizzily, "Let us stop here and travel through the night. There is plenty of game in these forests as creatures are awakening from their yearly hibernation"

No response.

"If we wait much longer, the soldiers will be too fatigued to scavenge at all" Meng pointed out further, certain the Emperor would be persuaded eventually and if not he would press harder, "And then they will resort to cannibalism"

With a defeated sigh, Sun Quan halted his horse and turned it towards the army that stopped along with him, nearly falling over each other. Quan directed his gaze over the army and then at the forest nearby, "We will rest here until nightfall and we will continue onward. Get food and regroup" He ordered, hearing generals repeat his instructions for those unable to hear him.

I didn't take long for soldiers to discover a flock of Red Crowned Cranes which they nearly let escape as they sought the meat severely. They ate ravenously, ignoring the need to cook the meat. Blood and feathers encrusted their insatiable faces as they consumed the birds mercilessly even while they were still struggling in their hands.

The hunger was so terrible that a few units had discovered two Siberian Tiger mates and attacked the two fierce monsters with now fear whatsoever. In that battle, a few soldiers were lost but the remaining soldiers who lived the epidemic didn't let the corpses go to waste as they ate the human flesh along with the tigers.

It was gruesome for one to watch; Lu Xun for one, found it despicable to even fathom. He sat in his quarters, wrapping his waist in a fresh cloth. His wound wasn't at all severe, but it would affect his fighting prowess for weeks. But it didn't dishearten him from the chancy strategy he was willing to try. An hour or so after they had stopped to reorganize, Xun had arranged a secretive assembly in Yu's quarters.

In this gathering, only a few generals attended. The rest were still disbelieving and were skeptical about Xun's loyalty to Wu. Xun disregarded their bitterness with a shake of his head and went on with the gathering without their praise.

Those who did attend still believed in his intellect and didn't shy away from his plans against Wei even though their own Emperor trusted Wei with the utmost confidence.

In Xun's strategy, the assistance of someone was inevitably required to bring the downfall of a kingdom so prevailing and isolated in mind and in power as Wei. Once Xun pronounced who it was they would be requesting assistance from, even Zhou Yu looked upon him with disapproval. Though Xun only expected them to shame him in thinking such crude ideas.

Gan Ning paced, throwing a fist in the air in anger occasionally, "First, it was infiltrating Wei, then disrupting an entire ceremony and neatly getting us killed, and now _this_?!" Ning scoffed, jabbing a finger in Xun's face, "I'm beginning the think that you are goin' crazy!"

Lu Xun brushed his hand away and with an unreadable grin said, "You all know that our Lord is leading this entire Kingdom into Cao Jin and Wei's filthy ensnare, don't you?"

Lu Meng and Zhou Yu nodded reluctantly. Ning heaved frustrated sighs and nodded finally in defeat. Ling Tong spun his Numchucks precariously in one hand and nodded as well.

Sun Shang Xiang remained very still and silent, her mouth forming a gape.

"Shu" Xun said firmly, looking upon all their faces as some frowned at the name while others remained stoic, "Shu is our only hope now, I am afraid. Wu is…too weary since the unforeseen ambush with the _Shé_ to thwart what Wei is planning, whatever it is"

No one replied.

Xun dropped his head to look at the floor and then raised it again, "Xuan will die along with Wu if we don't stop him" Xun said, thinking about Cao Jin; standing before him with a malicious smirk and looking upon him with dark eyes. On the floor he depicted Sun Xuan in a bloody heap, her eyes falling in him lifelessly and then, nothing…

"Ever since my mother's death, I've been trying to straighten out my priorities" Xun went on, turning his back to them as he felt the pain in his side again. He refused the need to sit down. "And up until now, I never thought I had anything else to fight for than Wu. The most horrible thing…I have ever done, was let my father hurt her the way he did. And now I am about to let another life I care about slip through my fingers, but not this time…"

Xun felt a small commotion behind him and then he felt a kind hand on his shoulder. Zhou Yu smiled wryly and said, "You know well in you mind, that you could do nothing to save Lady Jia Xun; I have told you this before. But you're right in your suspicions, Sun Xuan is in danger along with Wu" He said, remembering what Ce had told him the night before. He tried to keep from breaking down like he had done after Ce left him.

Zhou Yu focused on the other generals now as he continued, "Without Shu we are all doomed and we have no choice but to request their assistance" He approached them, "But you all know Wu will never fall to Wei without a fight"

Gan Ning did punched the air with a gallant fist, "I know I'm not gonna sit around and let Wei destroy Wu! I'll go to Shu and request their help!" he volunteered, watching Yu and Xun exchange uncertain glances.

"What, you think I can't do it?!" Ning shouted at them defensively.

Ling Ting sneered, "Not if you plan on shouting your head off them" He said under his breath, but Ning heard him. Ning scowled at him and held a threatening fist in the air.

"Why don't you say that to my face?" Ning demanded, stalking towards Tong.

Tong repressed a laugh and spun his Numchucks again, "I would, but I wouldn't want to get that close to it!"

Ning seemed as if he was about to explode and get into an unnecessary brawl with Tong like he always ended doing when he didn't have a come-back. But Shang Xiang stood from the seat she had been sitting silently in, abruptly having something to say.

"I will go to Shu" She said, distantly.

"What?!" Ning cried, staring at her in disbelief forgetting about Tong completely.

Yu ignored him and looked at the princess whole-heartedly, "Are you certain, Lady Sun?" he asked, uncertain about her thoughts on Liu Bei, who was aged but still well alive.

The princess hesitated, looking at her feet. After a moment she nodded and peered at Yu with a firm gaze, "I know I'll be able to persuade my husband" She said with certainty, "I will go to Shu and I will go tonight" She confirmed, with her fists at her sides.

Gan Ning approached Shang Xiang and sighed, "I will go with her" He said as Shang turned to him with wide eyes. She seemed as if she was about to cry; for Liu Bei or for him, Ning didn't know.

Zhou Yu hesitated on allowing Ning to accompany her. He was concerned over the young princess' safety. Lu Xun folded his arms; he knew Ning wouldn't harm Lady Sun even if it meant his life. He would protect her and if not Shang Xiang would make him regret it in full.

"Very well" Yu replied, after receiving an encouraging nod from Xun. He bowed to the princess and gave Ning a complimentary nod.

"Good luck to you," Xun told them, "We will make immediate preparations for your departure. But we must keep all of this confidential. Be certain that what you have heard here does not come to our Lord's ear" He reminded them all as they filed out.

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Meanwhile, the Wei grounds, the grave of the late Wei Empress…

"Mother"

Cao Jin stood in the small remembrance shrine that had been built over Zhen Ji's grave soon after her ceremony ended. In the center of the petite, open room was a headstone made of fine sapphire. Chinese characters had been carved into the stone describing her life and honor. Copper candle dishes hung from the ceiling from copper chains. Jin lit an incense stick with his candle and placed it in one of the copper plates, calling forth his mother spirit.

In one hand he held a candle in a small candle tray; in the other he held his mother's most favorite Phoenix crown. She had worn it every special occasion, believing that it brought fortune.

Kneeling before the headstone, he placed the crown on top of the stone and placed the candle at the base. He bowed his head and spoke aloud, "Mother, I apologize for my late visit. I have been quite busy, planning a new future for Wei; I think you would be pleased"

He paused, lacing his finger, "…We recently lost our emperor; it was quite tragic" He said, a smirk appearing on his face, "For my candor, Wei seems a little livelier without his presence, but also dejected without yours…"

He picked up the candle and held it before of him as if offering to her, "Mother, I will make Wei what it was before the misery came. For you" He blew out the candle and returned to the palace.

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**Before someone tells me something I already know, I am well aware that Xun is a little on the soft side. I can make it clear now, that he'll show a different side later. And I depict him in lovey-dovey kind of way anyways. **

**Oh! Btw there is a new photo of Cao Jin on my profile. Its anime styled but it's better than the last one I had of him. Lady Zhou Ying/ xp-of-wu helped me find this one. THANX YING! JIN LOVES YOOOOU!! 333 **

**Some ppl were asking me this and I kno it's hard to read a fic when you can't pronounce a name. You pronounce Xuan like **_**swan**_** only you add an 'H', so it would be pronounced '**_**SHWAN'**_**. I hope that helped some ppl who asked me. **


	26. Suspicions

**YAY FOR QUICK UPDATES! And…YAY FOR COFFEE!! OwO WOOT!!**

**So the biggest wonder has been about our favorite ex-pirate and the tom-boy princess. I'm sure a lot of my readers are GNxSSX and I decided to tie this pairing more into the actual story-line since I had depicted them in a little side section in past chappies. I have the whole situation planned out and I'm sure we'll all feel terrible for Ning once we find out ;; Oooooh now Bluie is excited! Here's chapter 26 ENJOY! **

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**Chapter 26 **

**Suspicions**

Late afternoon, before departure, outside the Wu encampment…

Two ebony horses were tied to a newly blossomed tree outside the camp. Hidden from anyone who might suspect them, Sun Shang Xiang and Gan Ning quickly tied rations and other necessities to the saddles. Lu Xun and Zhou Yu appeared a few minutes after they had completed packing. Ling Tong remained nearby the camp entrance on guard as he acted natural if anyone suspected something shifty.

"You both must leave before the main army does, be sure that no one discovers you" Yu explained in a whisper, glancing at the encampment. "It is imperative that out Lord doesn't realize your absence if we wish to succeed"

Lu Xun handed Ning and Shang Xiang each a black cloak, "Put these on" He said, "They will make you harder to identify in the night. Travel south and cross the border back into Wu; that will be the safest route to avoid traveling trough the Wei territory and gaining suspicions. "

The two gave a silent nod, exchanging satisfied glances. Xun continued, "Once in Wu, go west towards the Shu border. The outposts into Shu will inevitable grant you access to the Shu region since Lady Sun is present. It's been reported that the Shu Emperor is presently in the city of Hanzhong which is a major advantage since Hanzhong is relatively close to the Wei border unlike the Shu capital of Chengdu"

The Wu princess heaved a nervous sigh, "How much time do we have?"

"The Wu army will undoubtedly reach Xu Chang before you can reach Hanzhong" Zhou Yu estimated, handing Gan Ning a map of the kingdoms as he spoke, "Since it's just the two of you, you should be able to reach your destination in a matter of only days. If Wei is planning something for us, they won't do at immediately. They will wait until our Lord is most vulnerable and we will stall them as long as possible; so you have some time"

"But it shall take us quite some time before we can persuade Liu Bei into assisting Wu if at all" Shang Xiang protested with a grimace, "He would love nothing more than to allow Wei to defeat us and purge himself of the burden that is Wu"

Gan Ning frowned and averted his eyes towards the dark trees nearby.

Zhou Yu stroked her shoulder and smiled, "He will listen to you" He whispered, nodding, "He truly loves you, Lady Sun, he wants to make you happy even if he must help Wu; I have no doubt of that"

"But I don't wish to lie to him and go behind my brother's orders" She replied, hanging her head, "But I desire to see my husband again and now my brother is incapable of stopping me"

Shang Xiang mounted her steed and took the reins firmly in her hands; she looked upon Yu and Xun's faces with determination. "I will have Liu Bei bring the Shu army to Xu Chang within a week, which will leave you four days to suspend Wei when you arrive in three"

The two strategists confirmed with a nod and watched the Wu princess ride south away from the Wu encampment with the ex-pirate close behind her. They watched until they could no longer perceive the dust stirred by their horse's quick kicks.

Lu Xun turned towards the camp where he saw Ling Tong waiting, Yu followed. "Now it's in their hands" Xun murmured, "It will take Lady Sun much persuasion to convince Liu Bei, even to Ning's distaste. We must wish them fortune, for our own protection"

Soon after the princess' departure, the Wu army continued onward towards Xu Chang.

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Later that evening, Sun Xuan's chambers…

_'Entry fifty-one, Winter-end 197' _

_'Today is the first day of the new year. Spring will be very soon and it won't be as difficult to fend for myself. Unfortunately, mother has gotten much worse and now is excessively irritable. She struck one of the doctor's assistants and broken the poor woman's nose. When I visit her, it is heartbreaking to find out that she has forgotten who I am. She has become mentally-ill in her malady; I can tell she is slowly fading away. Distraught I am, but while she clings to existence, I must find some way to go on. Sadly, I see my choices becoming fewer' _

_'Entry Fifty-two, Spring-start 197' _

_'Wulan is under siege. Strange men in masks and blue apparel have swarmed the village in a merciless pillage. They are unlike any kind of bandit mob I have ever heard of; they are more organized, each wearing a scarf depicting a serpent-like creature. They've murdered some of the villagers, taking gold and food for themselves. They aren't infesting the city, instead remaining in the shadows of the forests nearby. I remain in the confines of my family's home for safety, but it will not protect me forever. When they aren't attacking, the city functions as normal on guard of course. But when they attack, they show us no mercy' _

Sun Xuan reread the fifty-second entry time and time again. She felt as if she was reading the entry right as it was happening. Someone who had undergone the plights like Xun had would have had bitterness unlike Xun, who had been cheerful during the short time she had been with him.

A few days ago, the death of the Wei emperor spread like a wild fire. It would be an over exaggeration to say that everyone was sad, most were relieved. But Cao Pi's death came to Xuan as a mysterious shock. Soon after his body was discovered right in the middle the hallway a few corridors away from her room, the body of Lady Guo was found completely impaled in her bed.

Both deaths were mysterious, but the counsel was unable to investigate and result in a logical explanation. Cao Jin was unbelievably conceited about the entire dilemma, assuring that it was most likely a servant who collapsed under the pressure and committed homicide. In public, Jin was a deft performer and grieved like a typical individual who lost a family member should. But when he was only in her company, which was often, he was exceptionally idyllic.

Jin was pleased like Xuan had anticipated he would be since what had happened to Zhen Ji. But he seemed too happy or perhaps accomplished. Unfortunately, she would not articulate her suspicions, fearing his audaciously bad temper.

Hearing the gong sound the beginning of a new hour, Sun Xuan quickly stored the precious journal in the cache behind the large painting. She had read very few of it ever since the night she finally had her prolonged wedding night with Jin.

Feeling isolated because of that mistake, Sun Xuan very little and mostly to Li Xian. The girl had spent much her stay in the palace in the infirmary, regaining strength after being malnourished for months. Cao Jin had nearly forgotten that the girl was still scampering around mostly with his sister Cao Li since Xuan kept mostly to their room.

Hearing the chamber door open Xuan sighed and laced her fingers. When she faced the doorway, she was stunned to see Li Xian with an arm full of flowers.

"Look!" Xian exclaimed, scurrying towards Xuan, "The flowers are starting to bloom again!"

Sun Xuan looked upon the girls face; she was no longer gaunt at all. Her face was round and her figure was back to its rightful plumpness of a girl her age. Xuan took the flowers and with a smile, placed them on maple table and tied on of her hair ribbons around them, she immediately thought of Zhou Ying.

"They are very beautiful" Xuan replied, observing the blossoms and then giving Xian a suspicious gaze, "Why were you out so late picking these? Shouldn't you be asleep?"

Xian puckered her lower lip and frowned, "But I'm not tired" She replied in hearty voice, a smile appearing on her face revealing missing baby teeth. Ever since Xuan had discovered her in the town, Xian had begun clinging to Xuan in daughterly relationship rather than just a friendly one. Perhaps she did so unconsciously to fulfill her need for a mother.

Sun Xuan sat on the bed and invited Xuan with her, taking the small girl in her arms. Xuan gently stroked the child's silky hair and hummed a small tune her own mother had sung to her. Unfortunately, her view on her mother, Da Qiao, had changed over the years.

Cao Jin entered through the already opened door, taking in the view of Xuan and the girl in her arms. He closed the door, standing silently to stare at it in thought. Xuan watched his back with uncertain eyes; by now, she was able to perceive his hostility. Li Xian had fallen asleep by this time, but had she been awake, she would have quivered. She was petrified of Cao Jin which wasn't anything to condemn her for.

"What is the girl doing in here?" Jin asked in low hostile voice, his back still turned away from Xuan, "I agreed to let it stay until it healed. Since it's so fit as to contaminate my chambers with its filthy presence, I think it should be placed back on the streets where it belongs"

"She's not an 'it'" Xuan seethed, glaring at him and pulling the child closer, "Is that how you see your citizens? Do you see them as nothing more than 'its'? Since you're emperor now, are you still as heartless as the day I met you?" She asked, reminiscing back to the night that seemed so long ago.

Xuan heard Jin utter something under his breath before turning towards her beaming his unforgiving dark eyes upon her. "Oh, Xuan, you and your wretched little lectures" Jin scoffed his blatant insult in a pleasant voice as if making a compliment. He approached on the side of the bed and leaned over Xuan and the sleeping child. He stared as if observing with sincere curiosity.

Sun Xuan leaned away wrapping her arms around protectively around Xian. Suddenly the girl stirred and her eyes fluttered open. It took her a few moments to notice Jin leaning over her and Xuan in a threatening manner. She squealed, hugging Xuan and placing her face in the woman's chest for protection. She glanced up at Jin, who frowned and jerked his head towards the door, ordering her to go.

Xian hesitated, gazing at Xuan who smiled encouraging and gestured for her to go. Reluctantly, but relieved to escape Jin's wrath, bustled off the bed and scurried out of the room in search of Cao Li.

Sun Xuan stared at the door before realizing Jin was looming over, placing his hands on either side of her. She frowned, closing her eyes, "You won't hurt her?" She asked in a pleading tone.

Jin furrowed a brow, "Why should I not?" He asked, enjoying watching the color leave her face as she fathomed what he would do to the innocent child, "Perhaps I will not, of course, I'll need some persuading" He added in a whisper as an erotic smile spread avariciously across his face.

Xuan trembled, feeling his ravenous lips plant bites on her neck. Pressing himself against her, Jin slipped a hand beneath her cheongsam, hearing her utter a small cry out of sorrow rather than pleasure. His candor told Xuan that he didn't care. She heard him murmur in a muffled voice, "I love you" and she heard him laugh maliciously.

Sun Xuan tightened her eyes shut clutching his back with rage, _'I hate you so damn much' _

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**Oh goodness…Jin's so cruel hehehehehe lol I'm trying to decide if I hate him or feel bad for him. –glomps Jin- He just needs a hug OwO XD lol Should Xuan be with Jin or Xun? Jin? Xun? Aww this is a toughie. O.O Keep reading to find out! 333 later! **


	27. Silent Escape

**Yes, if you're reading this on the day I updated, then it is the one year anniversary of **_**'As the Phoenix Falls'. **_**WOOT! –Throws confetti- Oh yea, I've worked on this for an entire year and haven't given up yet. I had planned it to be completed by now, but oh well I'm lazy, sue me XD lol Here's chapter 27! Enjoy! 100 REVIEWS! Yay! –More confetti- ok I'll shut up now ----**

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**Chapter 27 **

**Silent Escape**

Before dawn, somewhere within the southern Wei territory…

"We're going too damn slow" the griping ex-pirate complained yet again, leaning his head back in tedium, "We're never going to make it there in time. And when Wu goes up in flames I am not going to be the one to blame"

The Wu princess sighed in frustration as she scowled at the darkness ahead of them, only perceiving the black silhouettes of the trees as they passed slowly by. To avoid being caught by anyone who would attempt to thwart them on their journey, the two travelers were forced to travel through the dense foliage of the forest instead of the main road. Being on horse-back, they were rendered unable to travel anything considered remotely fast.

"Please, would you shut up" Shang Xiang snapped, rotating her head slowly back to glare at him. She heard him grumble under his breath as he inclined his head and rested it on the horse's neck. "Quit your sulking, we cannot travel on the main road so stop your complaining" Shang Xiang added, maneuvering the horse to avoid a tree.

"It's the dead of night! Who in their right mind, besides us, would be on the road?" Ning replied competitively as he sat up straight again. He realized after a few moments of silence except for the muffled thumping of the horse's hooves on the cold ground that the princess was ignoring him. From where they trudged slowly along, Ning could slightly see the main road in the bright moon light through the dense branches. Then, he decided to let his insubordinate side take command.

Shang Xiang stared ahead into the gloom of the woodland evidently contemplating on what would be happening within the next few days. She pondered about what she would say to the man she hadn't seen in years after parting to stay in Wu after her brother died. He hadn't forbade her or pressured her to make her stay in Shu. Liu Bei would assist Wu if she asked him to do so, but she still had to decide where her loyalties lay. Shu and Wu would grow conflicts eventually and she would eventually have to choose; for love or for family.

Ultimately, Shang Xiang blamed Sun Quan for placing these tormenting quarrels on her shoulders. She still had a powerful grudge against her brother for opting to have her, his own kin, assassinated along with Liu Bei. To Quan's discontent, this drew her closer to Bei despite she had left him for Wu soon after. Her affection remained indestructible.

Gan Ning, riding along her steed's rear, could distinguish her distant thoughts by the spellbound expression on her face. Though he would never confess it, he was distraught when he discovered her reveling in her past.

Now the ex-pirate was in need of a scheme to divert her from her irksome reverie of Liu Bei; whom he wasn't fond of for his own personal reasons. What better way to get her attention than to completely trample on her nerves.

Repressing a chuckle, Ning leaned towards the direction on the main road and shouted in a rather loud voice, "Oh my goodness!" His high-pitched voice was obviously phony perhaps purposefully. Shang Xiang glanced at him, quirking a brow as Ning cupped a hand over his eyes as if to obstruct the imperceptible sunlight, "Is that a man selling sexy paintings of Shang Xiang I see?! Naughty, naughty princess" He cooed, glancing towards her erotically.

"Ning, you are such a juvenile idiot!" Shang Xiang replied angrily, clearly developing a mortified flush in her cheeks. Ning mocked her by pretending not to hear. He turned his horse, who whined loudly as he galloped through the foliage and onto the main road. Shang Xiang could hear the loud hoof beats him laughing manically. Her own horse flicked its ears curiously.

"Oh, mister! mister! I want one!" He shouted in an impish voice at no one in particular, chuckles making his voice crack. He galloped down the clear highway, feeling the swift rush of wind.

Shang Xiang scoffed with a loud growl, "I'm so going to murder you!" She cried, her gallant black steed appeared from the dark forest. She galloped closely behind him; both feeling the black capes flailing behind them.

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Meanwhile, the Wei palace, Sun Xuan's chambers…

_'Entry fifty-three, spring-end 197' _

_'I have been unable to write within the past couple weeks due to these strange invaders. With each day, they engulf portions of Wulan and some of the people have vanished or have been thrown into the streets. I am one of those individuals. Along with all the other houses, these bandits remove whatever they can rummage from the buildings before burning it to the ground. Currently, I linger outside the rest home where my mother is still inside withering away. For now I can seek solace, but the bandits will—' _

Cao Jin stirred abruptly in his slumber forcing Sun Xuan to quickly shut the journal mid-sentence. Turning her head towards him, she watched his somber features in the dim hearth of the candle. Fortunately, he remained asleep and Xuan heaved a silent sigh of reprieve. She kept the journal closed, deciding it wasn't the time to read it. She placed it soundlessly on the vanity table.

Within the wardrobe, she dressed herself in some of his dark clothing. She had considered impersonating him to try and escape the palace uncaught. That idea was quickly thwarted when she lifted the torso armor and nearly came crashing to the floor with it. With a sigh, she let the plan go since she would have been considered too short to be thought of him anyways. Dressing also in shadowy blue cloak, she would be able to hide her face underneath the hood.

Retrieving a brown stitched quilt, she splayed it out across the floor. While watching the unaware slumbering Jin, she gathered items; another folded quilt, clothing, unlit candles, matches, and fruit to eat. She gathered them all in the center of the opened quilt. Kneeling on the floor, she creased each side towards the center and tied the breach with one of Jin's silk sashes; creating a makeshift satchel.

She stood and left the wardrobe, gripping the pack under her arm and stared at her sleeping husband. And then she realized, she could do anything to him now. She could purge herself of his burden. She would be doing this world a gracious favor. She had been given this opportunity once before; the night he had fallen asleep in her carriage during the journey to what was dejectedly called 'home' now. But she had reluctantly let her anger fade and did nothing then.

Why shouldn't she rid China of his existence now? Taking a small but lethal cutting stiletto in her hand she approached him silently. She watched him lay, motionless and oblivious as he slept probably dreaming of what he would shape Wei to be and what Wu would soon be suffering. She placed the blade the knife near his throat where she could distinguish it in the faint candle light.

Hesitant, she let her thoughts reminisce in the past months with him. All the anguish he had placed on her replayed in her mind; his hatred for Wu, his arrogance, his desire to kill reverberated in her mind. Her palm clenched tightly around the blade's handle. Her fingers becoming white with her vice grip as she felt the unnerving craving to see him suffer the way she had.

But had he not suffered in ways appalling to human ears unlike her? After all she had had a father who cherished her the way a true father would to their child, while he had a father whose only desire was to cause him harm. His mother's ubiquitous misery and her eventual death had affected his feelings to the point where he was unable to _feel_ anything anymore.

In the small light, she could see the olive skin of his arm revealed from the sheets. The scars made themselves known as rough slice shaped figures upon his skin. Clearly, his desolated memories outnumbered hers tremendously. Even the life of one born in Wei was no life of roses anyhow. Wei, a place where 'melancholy' is the proper definition all thanks to the late emperor who made it that way after Cao Cao's death.

Cao Jin was born into a life of hatred for others; it is no mistake to imagine that he would still carry that hatred with him still. Reluctantly, Sun Xuan withdrew the knife and turned away. Sliding the dependable blade beneath her belt, she picked up the bag and slipped silently out of the room with the intention of never seeing him again.

Stalking silently down the hall she kept close to the walls, unable to bring her candle without being captured. Some of the halls were lined with windows, others were not. Keeping to the corridors without windows she was forced to move quickly to escape before the sun rose over the horizons to the east. She descended the stairwells carefully to and searched for Cao Li's semi-royal chambers.

After her mother, Lady Guo, was found dead, Li had let some of her enthusiasm that she was recognized for go astray. After bonding with the girl, Xuan discovered that Li had been more distraught about Zhen Ji's death than her own mother's.

Sun Xuan snuck into the room, closing the door quietly behind her. Li Xian was sound asleep in the bed next to Cao Li, their sisterly bond was admirable. Kneeling by Xian, Xuan gently shook the girl while murmuring her name.

Slowly, the girl's eyes fluttered open as her mind returned to reality. She glanced at Xuan who concealed her face with the hood of the cloak. Seeming like a black monster coming to eat her, Xian fell backwards onto Li. Cao Li fell out of the bed and onto her face before coming to her feet in a state of complete confusion.

Xian seemed like she was prepared to release a spine-chilling scream when Xuan removed her hood with a sigh of exasperation. The dim sunlight made her recognizable to the girl who smiled with relief.

Li lit numerous candles, which quickly illuminated the room. Rubbing her eyes and through a yawn she inquired, "Xuanie, what are you doing here?"

Xuan lifted Xian off the bed, "We're leaving" She said simply as she straightened the girl's clothes and went to the wardrobe. Cao Li followed with a furrowed brow and watched Xuan rummage for Xian's meager amount of garments Jin had agreed to supply for her.

"We're Leave?" Li echoed Xuan, "What do you mean?"

"Li Xian and I are fleeing and we're going to try and find my uncle and the Wu army" Xuan explained, attempting to stuff the clothes into her make-shift pack. "I have to stop them and we must return to Jian Ye, because if we don't Jin will kill them all"

Cao Li remained silent for a moment, an expression on discontent appearing upon her small face. "But…I don't want you to leave…Brother will be very angry…" She trailed off.

Xuan paused her quick movements and glanced at the Wei princess, she had no intention on taking Li with her. "But Li, I must go. You're unlike your father and brother; you don't want to see my family die, do you?"

Li's eyes widened, "Of course I don't" She said before an expression of deviancy formed on her face. She stomped towards her racks of clothes and removed a black cloak. "If you guys go, then I'm coming to" She added firmly.

"But you can't, if Jin doesn't punish you for leaving then my uncle will for sure" Xuan replied, standing.

Li dressed quickly in black apparel similar to Xuan's and replaced her stoic expression with one of curiosity, "I want to meet these people from Wu. Besides, I know my brother has something shifty planned and I want to help no matter what he may do" She suddenly frowned and dropped her head, "I know that…my brother wants to save Wei, but I wish he could find a path that didn't require death and destruction"

Sun Xuan nodded with concurrence.

"That's why I'm going to go with you" She added with a bright smile and wide vivid eyes.

Sun Xuan hesitated with uncertain eyes, finally she sighed. "Alright fine, but we must be wary and quiet" She said, returning to her packing, "I can't guarantee anything to you; safety, succession, nothing"

Li nodded immediately, "I'm not afraid"

Just as the sun was rising over the eastern horizon, the trio escaped the palace. Along the palace walls, Cao Li showed Xuan a series of protruding bricks, explaining that she used this escape to leave the palace territory whenever she needed solitary time to herself. Once over the wall, the trio ventured through the forests of Wei and headed east towards the rising sun and the approaching Wu army.

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**The ending wasn't very broad, but my fingers hurt lol I have my driving test today O.O;; Wish me luck! XP cya later! **


	28. A Familiar Face

**I passed my test so yay! Thank you for the support 33 After about eleven chapters (or more) of being separated, I decided that Xun and Xuan should finally meet again. I'm already giving away too much info. Please enjoy chapter 28! D **

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**Chapter 28 **

**A Familiar Face**

Morning, the Wei palace, the Emperor's chamber…

Each page he turned to made him angrier than the last. He reread the entries again and again, feeling the urge to rip the fragile journal to pieces. He knew who wrote the damned thing and he was certain that was who she was running away to find. Slamming closed the journal, he throw it across the room where it smacked against the wall and fell to the floor, crinkling the pages. Did he give a damn? Of course not.

Waking to discover his wretched wife missing and reported run away by several chamber maids was enough to stir his contempt. Then finding the red leather journal sitting on her vanity table made his wrath cloud his mind with irrational thoughts. Whether it was her treachery that angered him or his own pure jealousy, he had new plans.

He would kill Xun, but he had planned that since the beginning. He would bring his whorish wife back and he would make her watch it all. He would kill Xun right before her very eyes. And she would bathe in his blood.

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Meanwhile, several miles east of Xu Chang…

Trudging east in the incrementing morning light, a conniving prince at her back. With each moment's pass, Wu neared their unknowing demise and Jin came closer to what he truly wanted.

Watching the easy breeze shift the foliage to and fro, Sun Xuan contemplated what would happen next. It was something too broad to fathom at this early juncture. Unfortunately, in addition to the troubles, it was unwise to be certain that who was considered family would even take heed in her warning. If Sun Quan desired to travel to Wei's capital despite Xuan's warning, then it would be so. To Xuan, it was best to attempt and fail rather than not attempt at all.

After all, there were still those who would listen. If not many, there was still _one_ who would always listen.

By noon, they could see nothing but deep forests around them and some rolling fields nearby where the sound of cattle was easily heard. The road at their feet was crumbled and weathered from the villager's wagons that eroded the ground day after day. They were far from the Wei palace now, miles away as they stepped quickly. Still thoughts of the present dilemma cluttered Xuan's mind.

Feeling a trivial tug at her cloak, Xuan shunned her troubled thoughts and smiled down at Li Xian. Xian smiled in return, revealing an uneven row of baby teeth, some absent. Cao Li remained vigilant and silent for once, eyeing the nearby forests with suspicion.

"Li?" Xuan murmured, still pacing ahead as she examining the girl with curiosity, "Something wrong?"

Cao Li remained silent for a moment more before turning her head slowly towards the road before her. Hiding her face in the hood of her cloak she whispered, "We are being pursued. They're swift in the trees, but I can still detect them there"

"…Who?" Xuan replied, standing frozen as she pulled Xian close and watched the nearby forests from the corners of her eyes.

"I've seen them sometimes in the palace, although they vanish in an instant. I don't know who they are; bandits I would guess" Li explained with uneasiness, walking forward and calmly. "I think they killed my father and mother. And they probably have a connection to my brother's plans"

Sun Xuan shivered slightly, fearing Jin already knew of their escape and sent these blood thirsty beings after her. "This complicates everything. We must move quickly" She explained as her pace quickened. Enclosing her hand around Xian's wrist, she pulled the wide-eyed girl along.

"They must have spotted us when we escaped; they plan on detaining us and returning us to the capital. That is much is for certain. They will not kill you if they desire their heads and avoiding Jin's wrath" Li murmured, sending a chill up Xuan's spine. "As for little Xian and I…" She trailed off then.

"We have to choice then; we must run" Xuan replied, but abruptly a piercing scream filled the air. It was Li Xian's shrill voice who made the loud din. She was behind Xuan now as several strange figures in dark blue appeared from the forests all around. They moved swift like lightning and wielded fantastic weapons that resembled embellished fishing hooks on a much larger scale.

One leaped over Cao Li's head and just before impaling her with the exotic weapon, Li unveiled a short sword from its hilt from within the back of her cloak. It was hidden with expertise against her spine and strapped around her torso. The blade struck the figure in the throat, pouring crimson blood onto Li's hands and arms. He fell to his back lifeless while others sprung toward the trio.

Li was able to deflect them, but the three were clearly outnumbered. Xuan had the stiletto she had brought tight in her hand, but had little assistance. Another lurched at Xian, but was smashed across the face with Xuan's hefty bag.

"What now?" Li asked; her voice clearly fearful. She remained in her fight stance, but the bandits didn't seem at all threatened. They surrounded the women, stepping closer and closing the space, smothering any opportunity for escape. Sun Xuan turned towards Xian and Li, wrapping a defensive arm around both.

A large deadly hook was lifted over their heads; Xuan watched the midday sunlight gleam on the blade. Something caught her eye; an image imprinted on the wielders scarf. A serpent. It seemed so familiar, had she seen it before?

Cao Li's blade fell to the ground with a loud clatter. And the large hook came towards them.

Suddenly, the blue bandit fell to the side, slicing Cao Li's cheek as a force pushed him and the blade away. He fell to the ground, wrapping a hand around a long arrow that had pierced his throat. Blood spewed from the wound and from his mouth before he became flaccid and inevitably stopped moving.

The remaining bandits were immediately befuddled, directing their repugnantly masked faces towards the shooter of the arrow. Sun Xuan held her breath, peering upon the mass of soldiers and generals alike dressed in fabulous red clad. Gallantly perched atop his ivory steed was her uncle, Sun Quan. On either sides of him were extended rows of bowmen and crossbowmen; their weapons held ready to fire.

"Stand down!" Quan exclaimed, brandishing his blade towards the bandits. They scrambled, some retreating to the forests while some remained behind. Several masked bandits attempted to take Xuan with them, knowing if they returned to the palace without her, Jin would be angered more so. They bound her arms with their own. One clubbed her against the shoulder with the hilt of their hook–like weapon.

Xuan fell to her knees as Xian tumbled to her bottom a few feet away. Cao Li had been knocked over and was scrambling to her feet as Wu soldiers poured down the road, some brandishing swords. Their battle cries rang through the trees in a loud distinguished clamor.

Xuan felt them release her and she could hear their quick steps as they fled. She placed a hand on her aching shoulder and glanced nearby at her fallen companions. Xian was still seated on the ground, cringing away from the bloody corpse of the murdered bandit. She returned to Xuan as Sun Quan approached, till on the horse.

Cao Li remained a few feet away, peering wide-eyed at the Wu soldiers as they searched the edges of the forests. Two carriages halted nearby and the doors remained closed. Generals circled the area, securing the perimeter.

Xuan looked into Quan's face, she was glad they had finally met with her family. But what he would do with Xian and Li, she was not able to decipher from his current expression. Then he realized it was her.

"Xuan?" He murmured in incredulity, dismounting the horse. A foot soldier took the horse's reins as the emperor helped Xuan to her feet, ignoring Xian. "Xuan, what are you doing here? You shouldn't be out here in your condition"

"Uncle—your Majesty…" She corrected herself, bowing, "I came because Wu is in—"

"Hush now" Quan replied, "Being pregnant, you shouldn't be out here, you were nearly killed"

Xuan's eyes widened, "Pregnant? I'm…" She trailed in thought. Why would Quan think she was pregnant? Who would have told him such a thing? And then she knew; there was only one who would lie like that.

"Yes" She stated finally, pursing her lips and replacing her expression with a neutral one. For the time being, she had not choice but to remain oblivious and go along with Jin's lie. "You're right…I suppose I must have traveled out to far, I apologize"

Quan's eyes remained skeptical and they softened as he heaved a sigh, "You will return to Wei with us. Come, you will stay with my mother. Lady Da is in the other, but there is no room inside" He said, gesturing to the more elaborate of the carriages.

Sun Xuan paused outside the carriage and turned to Quan, keeping Xian close. "Uncle, please we must return to JianYe"

"Nonsense" He replied, holding up a hand. "We go on to Xu Chang"

Before Xuan could object any further, he stared down at Xian. "Who is this?"

"Oh…This is Xian, sire..." Xuan replied, lacing her fingers over Xian's chest, "She is…" Xuan thought quickly; if Quan discovered the girl was but a commoner, he would never permit her to stay. "She is—"

"My sister, you Majesty" Cao Li said, approaching Quan before bowing at the waist with respect, "Xian and I are Lord Jin's half-sisters from the city of Tai Shan. We came with Lady Xuan in search of the Haui River and I'm afraid we got a bit lost…I apologize for the inconvenience, Sire"

Sun Quan eyed her skeptically and then glanced at Xian. "I did not know Lord Cao Pi had other children"

"Yes, your Majesty, but he does not enjoy speaking of us much" Li replied as if she had planned the entire speech.

Xuan exchanged glances with Li before finally nodding in agreement. Quan didn't seem fooled by the story at first, but finally he heaved an exasperated sigh. "Very well, you will return to the palace with us" He stated firmly, turning and mounting his horse again.

Sun Xuan desired nothing more than to hit him over the head with a rock she saw at her feet. She should have known that he wouldn't have listened, but still she would have to find another way.

The door of the fancy carriage creaked open and the warm, familiar face of Lady Wu appeared. She simply smiled; her demeanor to placid to overreact. She gestured Xuan and girls to enter the sanctity of the carriage cabin. Li climbed in first, awing at the elaborate empress, who was gently dabbing a silk handkerchief against the cut on the girl's cheek. Xian climbed in as well, longing to lie on the cushioned bench and fall asleep.

Sun Xuan was prepared to enter the carriage when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. She turned to the person, expecting no one in particular. She discovered someone she had longed to see for so very long.

Placing a hand on her cheek, Lu Xun smiled tenderly as she brushed dirt from her face. He cupped both hands around her cheeks, seeming like he would laugh at the surprised look upon her face.

Instead he leaned in and whispered, "I won't let you go this time"

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**So, you think Jin could sicken you any more than that? I think he can XD He's just misunderstood or…so we think. We're not to sure yet, scientists are still not sure X33 I hope you enjoyed the cliffie lol Tell next time –poof- **


	29. Reuniting

**Nyaa, sorry for the super late update!! School sux T.T Enjoy chapter 29!! **

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**Chapter 29 **

_**Reuniting**_

Early afternoon, the main road towards the Wei capital of Xu Chang…

By sunrise, Sun Xuan would be within the damned walls of Wei again. But this time, she would be far from alone. After finally reuniting with the familiar faces of Wu, she sat within the Empress' carriage. The gentle rocking had quickly placed both Li Xian and Cao Li into a deep slumber; neither having any rest since they had abandoned the Wei palace.

Xuan cushioned Xian's head on her lap as she gently stroked the child's hair. She watched the girl's face change as she dreamt of a world of tranquility and bliss. A place where everyone smiled and everyone lived a fairy-tale life, and a place that would never be a reality.

As the fanciful carriage rocked to and fro on the uneven road, Xuan watched from the small window at her side; watching the sun fall beneath the canopy and watching the blossoms of Winter Chrysanthemums portray their not only beauty but also, strength.

A gentle flower that is able to weather harsh times of winter to see the light of spring; to survive the harshest times and finally be able to see peace once again.

Now, in Xuan's mind, it was the deadliest winter yet and the blizzard had yet to come.

Lady Wu sat silently across from her. Her expression was refined and her face was as ageless as Xuan had remembered. She glanced inwardly from the window and then observed her hands clasped on her lap. As her face remained undeterred, Xuan could see the woman's red lips quiver and her hands tremble.

She had spoken little since Xuan had entered the carriage with her. She remarked Xian's innocent beauty and Li's ingenious deceit against Quan. It had alarmed Xuan that the woman was so endowed to see through the ruse and then again she wasn't surprised. The Empress knew of the cloudy future her kingdom would face if Wei wasn't stopped.

"Your Majesty…" Xuan murmured keeping her eyes low as Lady Wu placed her elegant eyes on her, "I apologize, for I must know..."

The Empress remained unreadable as she waited for Xuan to proceed.

"I must know why your Majesty will not stop the Emperor from traveling any farther into Wei" Xuan inquired as if she was accusing the Empress, but Lady Wu seemed completely impervious. "Your Majesty knows of Wei's plots, you knew all along. Why allow the Emperor to put Wu into harms way?"

Finally Lady Wu held her hand in the air as hearing enough. She passed a reassuring glance to Xian and Li before peering upon Xuan again. She heaved a small sigh and replied, "I am not one to dissuade the Emperor of anything"

"But, you stopped him from killing Shang Xiang!" Xuan retorted, relinquishing proper language for the Empress, "Why not stop him now?"

Wu Guotai remained still undeterred as she kept her eyes on Xuan. A long pause came before the Empress replied simply, "What is the past is the past. What my son orders now is how law will dictate"

"Lady Wu…" Xuan fell to her knees on the carriage floor after carefully placing Xian on the padded seat. She placed her hands on the Empress' and her eyes were pleading. "…Lord Cao Pi is dead"

Lady Wu appeared to be a little more nervous as Xuan said this but she kept her lips pursed.

"I know Cao Jin was involved in the Wei emperor's death…" Xuan added in a whisper, squeezing the Empress' hands, "He has death planned for us all, I can feel it. He is a madman…he has used our marriage for his sick plan"

"He is a madman, that is for certain" Lady Wu replied, stroking Xuan's hand, "And I believe that heaven will smile upon us, but we must believe in our own strength first" A small smile formed on her petite face.

Xuan fretted, Lady Wu's words baffling her. Tears formed behind her eyes and she begged, "Please…"

Lady Wu lifted her hand again, biding Xuan to not speak. "There is no more to be said; there will be no thwarting fate. Now, rest your mind, we will be camping for the evening. My son wishes the soldiers to look their best" With that said, the Empress stared forward as if her mind and attention had been completely dismembered.

Sun Xuan hesitated, squeezing the woman's fragile hands but felt no return. Finally, she resumed her seat and stroked Xian's hair and prayed. Prayed that something, a heaven bestowed miracle, would save them.

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Meanwhile, a road towards the village of Hanzhong…

Known for its infamous agricultural values, the region was already depicting large rolling crop fields. The rich, nourishing soil growing stalks of bamboo and rice as the spring warmth returned. Humble cattle and horses roamed the pasture, grazing throughout the day.

As their horses trotted along down the dusty rural road, Sun Shang Xiang watched a russet calve leap crazily through the field. It was quick to turn to the security of its mother. Elsewhere, two dun colored horses galloped alongside the aged fencing, whining and bucking as they rejoiced the brisk air and the soon arrival of spring.

Ahead of her, Gan Ning cantered the ebony mare in a few circles as he waited impatiently for Shang Xiang to come. The black cloak, now unnecessary, was draped over the horse's rear.

As they continued further down the path, night began to descend and they would be arriving in Hanzhong before midnight. With each knock of the hooves against the gravel road, brought them closer to Liu Bei. There they would attempt plenty of pleading and persuasion.

The pirate began to realize that Shang Xiang was falling more and more behind. As the road before them began to darken, he straddle this steed next to hers and gave her a wary stare.

"Afraid?" He asked, capturing her attention and she turned her face to look at him. Wide-eyed she was for a moment but she narrowed her eyes now on her reins, feeling the rough material.

"Of course not!" She replied curtly, "What do I have to fear?"

"Hmm, well let's see" Ning, placed his index finger to his chin in a mocking notion, "For one, you're afraid to see Liu Bei again after what? A year? Two?" He passed her a inquiring glance, "And you're gonna trick him into helping Wu, so your affection is petty"

Shang Xiang glared scornfully at him, "You are so juvenile" She sighed in aggravation as she gritted her teeth, hiding her face by glaring in the opposing direction.

"In other words, I'm right" Ning replied self-righteously. As he continued, his words became a mockery, insulting as they stung Shang Xiang's thoughts. "I guess it wouldn't matter. Liu Bei is so…" He paused to search his simple vocabulary for the proper term, "Naïve. He won't give a damn if your love came…half-assed" He said this with deception, brushing a finger crudely across her cheek.

Having heard enough, Shang Xiang swiped away his hand vehemently. She turned her face towards him and he was taken aback by the tears trickling down her round face. He had only seen her cry a few times, the most when her father and brother died.

"Do not pry into my life!" She shouted, wagging an accusing finger in his face. Both horse spooked by her perturbed screaming, "Your filthy jokes are not amusing. But I suppose you wouldn't give a damn what my emotions are, one would have require compassion to do that" The tendrils of her red bangs fell over her eyes and she pursed her lips.

Before the dumb-struck pirate could make another reply, whatever it was going to be, Shang Xiang whipped her horse towards the darkened road ahead. Her horse whined loudly as she kicked angrily at its flanks. The dust spurred from the gravel path, stirring a hazy cloud that trailed close behind her. The livestock in the pastures nearby lifted from their slumber by the commotion and their whines and bellows echoes through the night air.

As if someone had wrapped an iron grip around his stone heart threatening to shatter it, the pirate surveyed the gristly tail of her horse until the night shadows consumed it. Cursing through gritted teeth, he followed suite.

The dim view was clear through near the mountainside. Diminutive hovels were scattered sparsely on the road side. Some of the bamboo doors creaked open as the two riders galloped by. As the two turned the mountainside with the twisting road, the city was ahead the small palace in its center.

Gan Ning called her name ahead of him, hoping to stop her before they entered the city walls. Two alerted gate-keepers, held torches ahead of them to shed light. They had heard Ning shouting and the sound of hoof beats. Shang Xiang abruptly halted and her horse circled as she soothed its excitement. Gan Ning appeared soon after, remaining behind the princess.

"Lady Sun?" One older looking guard said aloud, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"Let me in, I must see my husband" She demanded with a stone gaze, "It is urgent. Go now and wake him"

Ning feared, in her contempt for him, would have had him wait outside the city. But as the gates were opened and the guards ran towards the palace, she said nothing and both passed through. As the horses traversed down the cobble-stone road, people opened doors and looked into the street. Ning realized the surprised upon their faces as they laid eyes on the princess.

Dismounting at the bottom of a wide stairway, Shang Xiang removed her black cloak and dropped it at her feet. She ascended the stairway quickly, compelled by her anger. Feeling like a liar and a traitor towards Liu Bei all thanks to the pirate's 'comforting support'. Gan Ning was behind her and he grasped her hand to finally make her stop.

She did, facing him with a stone gaze and a grimace. Before he could speak, she said "If I couldn't tolerate your barbaric mockery about my life and my marriage, I wouldn't be looking upon your face now. But know this, I am not a traitor"

"I know, I know" Ning replied immediately before he sighed. Rubbing the back of his head as if his mind was drained of any tenacious, vulgar remark he could ever come up with. It was strange how he took pleasure in aggravating Shang Xiang more then any other, perhaps because he enjoyed how her face turned a great scarlet and she warned him with threats she would never do.

"Look, I uh…" Her perfect jade eyes waited for him to speak, but as he considered them, he realized he had very little to say. "I guess, I didn't consider your feelings or whatever" He said this as he rolled his eyes every which way; he was evidently forcing himself to apologize. "…And…I'm sorry"

It was slight, but the smile that formed on her face required no reply. The ex-pirate took her hand, stroking her cheek with the other. Her skin was smooth and flawless against his rough fingertips. Then, he leaned towards her face, mere inches away.

"Shang Xiang?" A disbelieving voice uttered from the palace entrance.

Shang Xiang, startled by the sudden sound, turned her head towards Liu Bei as she felt Ning's hands leave hers. Liu Bei, dressed in elegant night robes, stood peering upon her with his mouth agape and his eyes drinking in her image.

Gan Ning stood a few feet behind her now with crossed arms and a frown.

"Liu Bei…" Shang Xiang mouthed, her voice inaudible. Liu Bei ambled down the long stairway, nearly tripping several times over the long robe. The Shu servants followed close behind. He wrapped her in a taut embrace, feeling tears of joy developing in his eyes.

Gan Ning was clearly thinking _'Oh, what a pansy…' _as he watched Shang Xiang return the embrace. The bonds of jealousy tightened around him whether he realized and accepted it or not.

Withdrawing from the prolonged hug, Liu Bei placed both hands on her shoulders and from his face; Shang Xiang could see the effect of time upon her husband. His hug was strong in a sense, but she could detect his aged fatigue.

"Shang Xiang" She repeated her name, enjoying the sound of it again, "It has been so long, so very long"

Two years was indeed too long absence for a married couple, but Shang Xiang was still deciding whether to be astounded with reprieve or troubled with desolation.

"Yes, it has indeed" Shang Xiang replied dryly, smiling "But I have come with a urgent request from my brother" Already she spoke her first lie, this being about her brother who probably didn't realize her absence.

"I am certain it can wait until the morning" Liu Bei replied, more interested in her presence than her reason. "You must be tired from your journey" He bid her inside, snaking an arm around her shoulders; this, making the pirate sick.

The Shu emperor hadn't realized Gan Ning's presence and he hadn't expected him. Now that he had Shang Xiang again, Liu Bei's prayers were undoubtedly answered. As he followed the two inside, the pirate felt an uneasy sensation in his stomach.

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Midnight, a temporary Wu encampment a few miles from Xu Chang…

Silence had gradually descended over the encampment as the boisterous soldiers calmed and eventually fallen asleep, most by the dying fire. The tall torches died out, leaving a trail of malodorous smoke behind.

Sitting in a wide tent, Sun Xuan massaged her hands. Across from her, kneeling on the floor where she combed her glossy brunette hair, Da Qiao had a frown formed on her face. Every now and then, the elder Qiao would deliver a critical glance towards her daughter. For some time, it seemed as if she was attempting to decipher something about Xuan.

"So" Da began, twirling her hair into a tight tress, "I hear there is quite a ceremony for your child" She stated, her expression was blank.

Xuan furrowed a brow, "I have no child. It has been but a half a year"

"Then you are pregnant?"

"No, I have no child" Xuan replied firmly as her callous eyes narrowed, "I wonder why so many have fallen under that false impression"

Da Qiao focused her eyes on Xuan for some time before setting a brush aside, "That is what Lord Jin has reported to us, of course. His Majesty, Lord Quan, is expecting a great celebration as is the rest of Wu"

Sun Xuan, although not entirely surprised by Jin's lie, gritted her teeth. She had no doubt at this point, that it was a morbid road ahead of them.

Later into the night, Xuan was stirred from her sleep. She sat up, unable to see through the darkness of the tent. She could hear Da Qiao's soft breathing as she slept somewhere within wide space. As her senses adjusted to consciousness and the lingering dark, she noticed a presence in front of her and then a hand taking hers.

She felt another hand brush her cheek and soft lips graze her own. Realizing it was Xun, she wrapped him a tender embrace. He withdrew, taking her hand tightly and helping her to her feet.

Feeling the cool ground under her feet, Xuan followed him out of the tent where the light was only a bit more vibrant from the moon overhead. He turned towards her again, his dark eyes attentive as he whispered, "Follow me, we can't be seen together"

Xuan followed him as he led her into the foliage of the trees where the light was smothered. The melted snow was freezing beneath her bare feet and she sought refuge on a fallen tree trunk. She watched Xun curiously as he looked towards the quiet encampment every now and then before finally sitting next to her.

He stared at her uneasily before speaking, "We will reach Xu Chang by midday…"

"I would take this all away if I could…I could have killed Cao Jin, but I did not" She replied, her eyes tightly shut in guilt. "I am sorry, but what can we do now…if anything?"

Lu Xun stared at her, considering her question and then looked upward and then at all sides. Like Xuan, he knew Jin's minions, the _Shé_, were watching and waiting to spoil any plans. He also knew that they wouldn't attack him now, not so close to Jin and there wouldn't be a point anyways. Jin wanted to purge himself of Xun and perhaps even Xuan personally.

Leaning close, he whispered his plans regarding Shu. He also explained that they would need to delay Jin's plans once arriving in the capital.

"Our only hope is on Shu and Shang Xiang now" Xun added with a melancholic tone.

Xuan considered everything he had explained and felt a shudder trickle down her spine. She was struck with alternative idea.

"Let's run away now; you and I!" She stated with excitement, but she sensed Xun's disagreement as he sighed.

"I can't…Pardon, I _won't_ leave my kingdom" He must have appeared angry as she pursed her lips, but the reality must have finally settled in her mind as she realized that she couldn't leave her family now. "I'm sorry, Xuan"

Xun stood and offered a hand to her. She hesitated, frowning towards the nearby trees. She could see the wicked bandits masked faces in her mind and pictured her family at their mercy. Knowing no mercy would be given.

She took his hand and walked closely next to him towards the camp.

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**Yay, there together for once w Hope you enjoyed! **


	30. Blackmail

**I is sorry for all the long waits, but I have a prior commitment to college preparation which I'm sure you can all understand. It's tedious and repetitive but it's worth it I guess X.x Anywho, I wanted to thank everyone for all the reviews thus far. It really helps me in giving you better chappies and you all make this story worth while. Thanks so much! Here's chapter 30! Enjoy! **

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**Chapter30 **

**Blackmail**

Now only four days remained. Time was fading and still Liu Bei knew only little of Wu's crisis. It was also a mystery whether he cared or not, if he didn't, it was over. It would be pure luck if Wu could defend itself against the ambush since only an insignificant few knew of Jin's plots and they were already trapped too far within Wei territory.

In reality, Wei could assault Wu long before they entered the palace grounds if they wished. But they waited, like nothing more than snake awaiting its prey. Lying still as its unknowing prey crept forward towards the inevitable.

Then as its fate was sealed and no chances of survival remained, the snake would strike.

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Dawn, Hanzhong. The Shu headquarters…

"My Lord?"

Sun Shang Xiang pressed her hand against the cracked door. The hall was dim except for the small areas lit by torches. The morning light crept through the windows and slowly servants began to start their daily routines.

Opening the door, Shang Xiang discovered Liu Bei seated in a cushioned chair and dressed in thick robes. He was doing calligraphy on a long piece of parchment that lay on the table before him. Every now and then he would look towards the window. A small, but strong burning candle sat next to the parchment, the flame dancing with the breeze.

Liu Bei wouldn't turn his face to her, or even acknowledge her with a gesture of his hand to approach. Shang Xiang did so anyways, sitting on her knees at the foot of the chair. The brush stroked gently along the page, creating beautiful and meticulous characters.

"I have spoken with the Prime Minister" Liu Bei said arbitrarily, his eyes concentrated upon the parchment. "You have come for…more than a simple visit, haven't you?"

His question stuck her with anxiety and she replied with uncertainty, "My desire would be to have no priorities and no candor. I wish that I could tell His Majesty that I am here only for my desire, but I am not" Shang Xiang dropped her head in guilt and she heard the brush strokes become silent. "Liu Bei, my family needs your virtue now or…they will surely die"

Liu Bei laid the brush onto the parchment. He tenderly grasped her chin and lifted her eyes to his, then taking her hands in his. His smile was comforting, but hollow.

"I have feared for you Shang Xiang" He stated quietly, "I have heard the Wu Emperor is taking the kingdom to Wei. That is foolish no matter the reason"

"I agree, sire, but he will not listen to my reason or anyone's" Shang Xiang replied hopelessly. "I have traveled here in secret to request His Majesty's assistance. The Wei prince is plotting against my family"

"Indeed, I have heard about this man. Kongming has told me much"

"Then His Majesty must also understand our dire situation" the princess explained, squeezing his hands.

Liu Bei heaved a sigh and stood, releasing her hands. "I cannot help Wu" The decision was firm and his expression was unreadable. He turned and walked towards the window, his back to her.

"But, sire please!" Shang Xiang scrambled to stand and nearly tripped as she approached him, "I ask nothing more than your sympathy"

"I cannot risk the lives of my people in Wu's blunder. It is Sun Quan's mistake, not mine and thus, my decision is final"

"But, Liu Bei, once Wu falls, whose people do you presume Wei will kill next?" Shang Xiang remarked reluctantly, "Wei's desire for conquest will engulf the whole of China. I do not wish the agonies of war to be brought upon the innocent anymore than it has…"

Liu Bei glanced at her from over his shoulder; the long-term affect of the up rise of power in Wei would undoubtedly be brought upon his shoulders sooner than later.

"Though many of your people may be affected in this fight, many more will be spared if Wei is to be thwarted now. Please, My Lord" She pleaded, clasping her hands, "Help us cure the disease before it spreads" The analogy sunk into the Shu Emperor's mind and he turned to her.

"Very well" He announced finally, "I will prepare for the journey and I will have Kongming devise a plan for our attack"

"Thank you, My Lord" Shang Xiang replied with imaginable relief, "Your compassion is unmatched"

She bowed to him with eternal graciousness, but as she stood she was drawn into a deep embrace. She felt his aged but strong hands scour her back.

He whispered into her ear, the words she feared the most "Nonetheless, there is more than just peace I want from this alliance"

Wu's ailment was now Bei's reason to have Shang Xiang back in Shu forever. Shu's assistance now was at the cost of princess.

On the table, in thick ebony ink, the parchment read: _'A soul for a soul. Devoid of earth's reverence, heaven will grant no peace' _

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Noon, the same day, The Wei capital…

The tall, unshakable walls of the Xu Chang came clearly into view. The palace, standing high and reaching toward heaven, portrayed rage masked by beauty. The town bustled completely indifferent; merchants sold their items, mothers tended to children, the same people who would be thrown into poverty by war that would occur in a matter of only days.

The Wu army, surpassing the heavy gates, traveled in a narrow line towards the Palace. The soldiers, dressed in red and patriotic clad, held their heads high as they brandished their honor for Wu on Wei soil. The Generals, fraught with concern and prudence, followed alongside their soldiers as they approached the inevitable. And the Emperor, filled with pride and ambition, led his kingdom into the unfriendly arms of Wei.

The nearby townspeople, now wide-eyed with awe and some with hate, watched the large army of red pass them by. They exchanged glances with the generals and within their own groups. They also whispered and exchanged remarks amongst themselves.

Two Wei general approached on horse-back; one was more muscular than stout and the other was more stout than muscular. They had no weapons which somewhat comforted Lu Xun, who was on horse-back a few meters behind Sun Quan.

He had met the generals, or perhaps battled, with the two generals when he had invaded the capital during the wedding ceremony. They were Xiahou Dun and Yuan and they were probably still scornful of him. At this moment, however, they portrayed little hostility.

"Welcome, patrons of Wu" Dun greeted, both bowing with respect. "We welcome you humbly to Wei"

The two generals led Wu further into the capital and towards the palace.

Sun Xuan, peering from the carriage window, noticed all the familiar things of the capital pass her by. She had hoped that she would never have to see this place again, but alas it was as if she was returning in chains. Cao Li was silent, engulfed in concern about her punishment for running away with Xuan.

Li Xian was at the window with Xuan. She could see the children who had once tormented her and now they looked back her, mouths agape in disbelief. She grinned at their stunned, dirty faces.

Lu Xun and Lu Meng approached the carriage window, glancing between Xuan and the townsmen. They were cautious and attempted to act as if no were not associating with Xuan. She was after all, the Wei Empress now and the townsmen probably frowned upon the simple Wu generals conversing with her. Not to exclude Quan's wrongful suspicions of Xun.

"Good Day, You're Majesty" Meng said, looking passed Xuan at Lady Wu, who acknowledged him with a nod.

Li Xian, remembering Xun's familiar face from when he fed her nearly a year ago, waved gleefully and he accredited her with a discrete smile. He then focused on Xuan, who was frowning with hopelessness.

"Don't fret, My Lady. All will be well" Xun said in a formal, reassuring way, it was important to sound completely oblivious. He meant that his plans to save Wu would be successful and that there was no need to worry. Yet.

At the base of the palace stairway, the army paused. The carriage wheels stopped rotating and the generals halted the steeds, whose ears flicked in curiosity.

At the top of the long flight of stairs, stood Cao Jin, the casual look on his face sickened Xuan. The mere thought of seeing his damned face again, was appalling enough.

Jin was dressed in formal blue armor and he wore a studded helmet. He descended the stairs, several servants following behind him. As he approached, he raised his hands to the sky and announced, "Welcome, it is wondrous to see the many faces of Wu again!"

Sun Quan dismounted his horse and bowed to Jin. "It is indeed"

"I hear your journey was a treacherous one?" Jin inquired, wide-eyed and seemingly surprised.

"Yes, we were ambushed by bandits, but it all ended with little destruction, I assure you" Quan replied despite that the ambush left much more destruction than he had explained.

"I apologize to hear of this, I would have sent reinforcement, had I known sooner" Jin lied, skilled at seeming apologetic. "But I am as well facing trouble, my dear Xuan has vanished. I have yet to find any trace of her"

"Worry no more" Quan stated, motioning to several soldiers who approached the carriage where Sun Xuan and Cao Li reluctantly exited, leaving Xian safely with Lady Wu.

"Ah, Xuan!" Jin exclaimed, opened-armed and smiling. Reluctantly, Xuan went to him, embracing him as if she were embracing a cactus.

"Damned snake" Xuan murmured into his ear. "You will pay for you deceit"

Cao Jin began to laugh like he had heard a hilarious joke, not at all threatened by her remark. He then noticed a familiar figure sitting vigilantly upon an ivory horse. He scowled at Xun, malice emanating from his black eyes, but he couldn't cause conflict with him now. It wasn't worth putting his plot into any suspicions.

"Come all!" Jin announced, taking his spiteful eyes away from Xun and gesturing towards the palace, "I will be certain to make your stay, an unforgettable one!"

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**This chappie was about three hundred words too short of my usual goal, but I was determined to give you guys another chappie . I hoped you enjoyed! btw, I am considering renaming this fic once again, because I don't like this name anymore. I just to give you a heads up that it may happen. **


	31. The First Night

**Yay, we've passed the 30****th**** chappie! –happy dance- XD –Sigh- What am I going to do once with fic is over????? –shudder- Well, hope ya are enjoying it thus far n.n So I finally decided **_**not**_** to change the fic name, figuring I didn't want to make an unnecessary confusion at this juncture. Oki doki, all random things aside, here's chapter thirty-one! **

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**Chapter 31 **

**The First Night**

Late afternoon, Xu Chang, in the palace throne room…

"The Wei Emperor is dead?" Quan inquired, gazing upon Cao Jin from where he was perched on the throne. Around Quan stood each of the Wu generals, excluding two he had yet to notice. Several Wu soldiers also stood near, exhausted but vigilant about the unfriendly ambiance of the Wei palace.

"Indeed, unfortunately" Jin replied dishearteningly, glancing at Sun Xuan who stood next to him. A sense of threat was emanating from his black eyes.

Lady Wu stood next to Sun Quan, her stare unbroken upon the Wei heir, "I ail for Wei's loss" She said in a consoled tone and a sympathetic expression, "It has been some time, Lady Zhen Ji, she is still well?"

Sun Xuan pursed her lips, fighting the need to reveal Jin's lie to every attentive soul nearby, but she knew it was not the time.

"Alas" Jin replied, actual pain forming on his usually malevolent face, "She also looks upon us from above…I do apologize for this dismal news" He then held an undefeated hand in the air and grinned, "But, I shall always leave my sorrows to the past, for it is time for merriment, not grief!"

Cheers rose from many Wei soldiers as well as from some unperturbed Wu officials, like Sun Quan. "I am glad that the precedent issues between Wei and Wu can also be left to the past" He bowed then and it was all Xuan could to hold her nauseous stomach.

Cao Jin stood and suddenly took her hand, "I am glad as well" He replied darkly.

Later that evening, food was prepared and served well into the night. The Grand Hall of the ground floor greatly differed from the Grand Hall of the Wu palace; the lighted candles were faint, casting a ghastly atmosphere. Tall, adorned columns were aligned down each wall on either side. One wall, at the far end, was completely absent, replaced with a thick velvet curtain, separating the Grand Hall with the rest of the outer hall. Within the room were sparsely scattered tables, each covered with food.

Generals were scattered about in mingling cliques. Some, more trusting individuals merged themselves with those they may have battled with at one time. Now, they drank in an uncertain, hollow peace that went greatly disregarded. For some.

Others shied away, untrusting and watchful. Zhou Yu sat at a far table with Xiao Qiao, facing Cao Jin who sat at an embroidered table with Quan. He couldn't hear what they two lords were saying over the loud din of chitchat of the room, probably small talk and about future alliances. Xiao Qiao clutched his arm, silent for once and afraid.

Two drunken Wei generals approached, both of whom Zhou Yu had never met before. Both were rather stout and relentless as they slumped towards the inert Wu strategist and frightened wife.

"Look, it's the 'beautiful' strategist herself!" There was no mistake, they were talking to Yu. But, despite the insults it was his nature to remain calm and ignore them. But that wasn't the younger Qiao's nature at all.

"Hey, you fat pigs!" She cried, standing with her hands on her hips. Fruitlessly, Yu tried to console her but all in vain, she continued to through back childish insults, "You're just jealous 'cause Yuie is so much handsomer than you!" Yu sighed helplessly as she embraced his head to her tiny chest.

The two inebriated generals laughed openly and staggered away in search for others to mock. Xiao released Yu and sat again, smiling triumphantly. He couldn't help but smile upon her assertive temperament and patted her head affectionately.

Da Qiao stood near Lady Wu, hands clasped as the Empress propped against a column, away from the others. Facing away from the raucous crowd, she could see nightfall engulfing the sky from a large window across from where she leaned against the column. Lady Wu went to the window soundlessly, so gracefully it seemed like her feet never me the floor.

"You're Highness?" The elder Qiao inquired, following with wide, concerned eyes.

"There is much death in this place. Perhaps Xuan is right" The Empress remained unmoving as she stared outward at nothing but darkness, and abruptly, she turned her slightly aged face at a dumbfounded Da. Smiling, she said nothing more and ambled past her, patting the girl's shoulder as she went.

Elsewhere, Lu Meng heaved an exasperated sigh as Xun looked upon the scene with vigilance. They still had at least two remaining days of waiting before Shu would arrive according to Shang Xiang; that is if she convinced them to come at all. The whole dilemma sent a quiver up his spine, but he was determined to keep the cloudy plan concealed until the time was precise.

"I still don't understand what is going on our Lord's mind…" Meng grumbled with aggravation, "Why bring us here, honestly, for some ceremony for an unborn child? Deplorable. Lady Xuan shows no signs of an ailing mother that is with-child"

The very thought sickened Xun, "Relax, Meng, anxiety will do you no favor" He replied, uncertain of his own anxiety. From where he stood, he could see the curtain shudder and capture the light of nearby candles. A face peered through the opening, it was Xuan. She searched the room with satisfaction.

"I will return" Xun whispered to Meng, who nodded, noticing Xuan.

Unable to simply saunter to her, the young strategist scanned the crowd for suspecting eyes. Most of his problems were drunk and the remaining one was talking aimlessly with Sun Quan. Cao Jin probably suspected a lot more than Xun could fathom and so the cunning strategist slipped behind each column. Reaching the curtain, Xuan finally noticed him.

Smiling, she withdrew from the curtains and he scanned behind himself one last time before disappearing inside the curtains. As always, she was always a delight to his eyes, but she had changed significantly since he had first laid eyes on her. Stress had been weighted done upon her, so many days of tear stained cheeks. Having so many by her, but always being truly alone.

Even now, behind her rejoicing smile, agony was very much visible in her eyes.

"I was worried I wasn't going to be able to see you tonight" She said, embracing him. "I was worried Jin was going to punish me for trying to escape…but after we arrived, he wouldn't breathe a word to me. It is peculiar…"

Returning her embrace, Xun replied, "Perhaps he is trying to conceal it from Sun Quan…He doesn't want our Lord to suspect anything yet"

Xuan withdrew from the embrace and turned away, "I know what you have come for" She turned back to him abruptly, "And I want you to know, it is all lie. This celebration is phony; I am not with-child. That is how I know Jin is planning something evil and it is simple to understand that he wants to destroy Wu"

Relieved and somewhat nervous, Xun replied, "Then we are certain of his deceit now"

"Xun" Xuan muttered in a tiny voice, "If Shu does not come…what of Wu?"

The young strategist did not reply. He simply pursed his lips with desolation and starred grimly at her.

Sun Xuan finally, after moments of contemplation, nodded. "I see" She turned away and trekked away, but at the edge of the curtain she turned towards him, "Your journal, I have read it. It's remarkable and yet...heartbreaking"

Xun said nothing as she disappeared through the trembling curtain, soon after he followed.

Back inside the Grand Hall, Xuan was already approaching Cao Jin, where he sat still speaking aimlessly to Sun Quan. When he realized her approach, he considered her with a glance and then waved her off. Helpless to her hatred for him, she stood inert like and submissive dog behind his chair.

Xun ambled towards Zhou Yu, where he sat with the younger Qiao, who was embracing him a tight hug. Zhou Ying and Li Xian were standing near them, eating meat buns together. The younger strategist sat across from Yu, who acknowledged him with a nod.

"You spoke with Xuan?" Yu asked discretely, "She seems perturbed" he added, glancing at his niece.

Xun nodded plainly, "And it would seem we are becoming desperate. We cannot place all our fading hope on Shu"

"But what else can we do now?" Yu inquired tersely, "You are already only a few steps from a dungeon cell, have you forgotten?" He added with a raised brow.

"I know…" The younger strategist replied impotently, he leaned forward and placed his head in one hand "If only we could find another way to…"

Just then, Xian sauntered towards him. She held a meat bun that had a single bite taken from it; she offered it with a smile. "This is for you!" She announced with accomplishment, "This is for when you brought me food in the alley. I took it from the fat general"

Somewhere in the room, Xu Zhu was sobbing over a 'misplaced' meat bun.

Xun contemplated her and the meat bun, "You took it?" He asked, taking the gnawed bun and placing it on the table, appreciative but repugnant about eating it.

"Yes, he didn't even notice" She replied with a widened grin as she leaned on towards him. "I used to take a lot of things before Xuan saved me" Though it was a wrongful deed, she still smirked in victory.

Xun glanced at Yu, who was well aware of the plan stirring in his apprentice's mind.

"Xian, how well do you know this castle?" Xun asked in a small whisper, leaning towards her.

"Very well!" Xian replied blissfully, arms raised, "I know where the chef hides all the sweets! Want one?"

"No, nevermind that" Xun stated with a chuckle, "But can you find something else for me? He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. He withdrew and she nodded with zest.

"I'll go find them now!" She exclaimed, arms raised again.

"Remember, it is our secret"

Xian nodded, turned and skipped through a nearby door with Zhou Ying sauntering close behind.

Xiao Qiao leaned forward to see past her husband towards the doorway, "Where did you send them? What if someone in this place hurts Ying?!"

"Please don't fret, Lady Qiao" Xun replied, earning an inquisitive from Yu. It was very rare that he could form a plan that could leave even a renowned strategist like Yu befuddled. Xun took a small sip of wine, "Xian seems to be able to wonder around this palace freely as she is a child; not one to suspected of anything, as is Ying"

"So you have yet another scheme" Yu inquired, clasping his hands in front of his face.

"If little Xian keeps it to herself, then I do" He held a hand over a tiny candle in the center of the maple table, it made a crazed dance under his palm. "Of course, we'll need fire; A lot of fire"

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**n.n There's his pyro side XD Sorry for any mistakes, I was determined to have this chappie in by the end of the day –sweat drops- Hope you enjoyed! **


	32. In the Midnight Shadows

**Hello again! I guess updates are on a monthly basis now, unless I can finish all my art projects now and actually find the motivation to work more and that may not happen lol I am sorry about the spacey updates tho u.u **

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**Chapter 32 **

**In the Midnight Shadows**

Midnight, the Wei palace. The Emperor's chamber…

Fumbling and rummaging through the room with no success; she couldn't find it. The large golden embroidered trunk against the wall was ajar, its contents scattered in disarray around the floor. The bag she had taken on her escape attempt was unraveled on the floor, everything from within was lying here and there. Even the painting next the bed was unhinged from the wall and lying face down on the floor.

Standing in the center of the room with her hands obscuring her flushed face, Xuan had no idea where Xun's journal could have vanished to. She recalled having it before fleeing the palace, but hadn't laid eyes on it since.

"Damn it…" She muttered in frustration. She forced and aggravated groan and withdrew her hands from her face, taking another inquisitive glare around the room.

She decided not to force a chambermaid to clean up her mess and began to pick up all the cluttered cheongsams and garments, placing them where they had originally been stored. As she did, she pondered the entire situation and in spite of the late time and overbearing gloom on her mind, she wasn't at all tired. It was without inconvenience as the more pompous generals were causing quite a drunken racket on the floor below her.

Xuan didn't expect her undoubtedly intoxicated husband to come stumbling and staggering in the early hours of the morning only to disturb her in his drunken state. If she was fortunate, and in which she prayed, he would fall unconscious in the Grand Hall with the rest.

Suddenly, there was a calm knock against the door, which she abruptly thought of Xun. Hoping it was him, she turned away, rubbing her face in futile attempt to bring ordinary color back into her cheeks.

"Come in" Xuan said, rubbing the messy makeup from her eyes.

The door creaked open and the steps were inaudible if there were any at all. "Evening, My Lady"

The devious, almost wicked and somewhat high-pitched voice surely wasn't Xun's. It sent a chill up her spine and almost made her shiver. Xuan turned to meet Sima Yi's face which was, like always, showing an unusual curiosity and deceit that made trusting him too difficult. It was as if he was never really on your side, like he would betray you in a moments notice.

"Oh, good evening Sima Yi" She replied awkwardly. She had never really understood this particular strategist. In fact, she had rarely seen or spoken to him during her stay in the Wei palace. But he was one of those people that always seemed to be watching, observing from a place you couldn't detect; always fading into the many shadows of the palace.

Basically, Yi wasn't someone she would want to be alone with.

"Heavens, your beauty is overwhelming!" He remarked with patronizing flattery, "I would say it would rival our late empress, herself"

Already, Xuan was uncertain about his presence considering his somewhat sarcastic tone, "…Thank you. Is there something you needed, Zhongda…?" She replied with a forced smile and an urge to get rid of him.

Yi withdrew his powerfully intimidating eyes from Xuan and stalked aimlessly around the room with his black feathered fan to his lips. "I noticed…" He paused to focus on her again, "That two certain Wu individuals did not arrive with the army earlier"

Xuan was stricken with stinging prickles along her neck, there is no way anyone could have noticed two simple people absent among that _entire_ army— Except Sima Yi of course.

"Is…that so?" She replied, attempting to appear naïve.

A blatant smirk formed on Sima Yi's pale face; he seemed to realize something by her reply. He was brilliant, able decipher anything using intimidation and it was obvious where Wei gained much of its success from.

"I suppose it would make little difference" He stated, hiding half his face with the fan again. "But…I do wonder why Lady Sun would miss this occasion"

"I…am not certain, it has been quite some time since I have spoken her" Xuan replied, clasping her hands.

"Is that so?" He inquired with a finely raised brow, attempting to irk her into revealing something.

"Why yes, I can't imagine why she wouldn't be here…" Xuan added to her innocent alibi, but the expression on the Strategist's face seemed to change drastically to contempt.

"Enough, I know well that you are lying" Yi hissed, his eyes narrow and impatient, "What kind of fool do you take me for, you wretched filth! What have you planned? Speak!" He brandished the fan towards her; it seemed to radiate a purplish haze.

Now that his deceitful mask of flattery was gone, Xuan cowered against the wall behind her in fear. "I…I don't know what is planned! Please, forgive me, but I don't!"

With a aggravated groan he lowered the fan before raising it to his face again like it was a habit, "Very well then" He hissed, "Although, I am still certain that you lie, harming you would only bring a burden to me from that pesky prince"

Xuan trembled, begging heaven to send him away.

A faint chuckle rose from behind Yi's fan and his deceitful mask returned, "But there are…others I can easily 'persuade' in any way I please. Unless, you wish for their well-being to be spared…" He trailed off, waiting for her to intervene in his plans to harm someone she cared for.

She didn't reply, but the realization that someone she loved would be tortured if they didn't reveal the ploy began to sink into her mind.

"Perhaps…a certain young Wu strategist you care for…" Yi trailed off again, smirking.

Her frightened eyes widened, "H-how do you know?"

"Again, you think me a fool?" He replied with disdain, "I have seen you together in the palace, quite smitten, aren't you?" His sadistic chuckle rose again as he began to somewhat fan himself. "I'm certain…Lord Jin would hate to hear of your infidelity, no?"

"Please, why are you doing this?" Xuan pleaded. Jin already knew of her fondness for Xun, there was no doubt, nut it would only condemn them both if Sima Yi reminded him of their meeting. If that wasn't unpleasant enough, Yi was threatening to have Xun arrested or killed if she didn't reveal the plan.

Sima Yi scowled at her and said, "With Lord Cao Cao and Cao Pi gone, this kingdom will finally be mine once I dispose of that pathetic nuisance; Jin. And I can't have some pitiful resistance attempt ruin it all, now can I?"

Xuan felt the cool wall against her back and she wished she could just sink into it. "I do not know what is planned, I…I have only been told very little…Please, don't harm my family"

Chuckling maliciously, Yi stalked to the door where he turned to her with the same conniving expression he wore when he entered, "Thank you, Lady Xuan" he said in a blatant tone of mockery, "May you sleep well" with that monotonous farewell, he disappeared in the dark hallway with the door swinging close behind him.

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Meanwhile, the Wei Palace, in a long corridor of the cellar…

Li Xian pressed against the damp wall as she peered around the corner. All clear. Several dim torches aligned the walls, adding to the gloomy ambiance of the crypt. The ground was dank and cool beneath her feet as she scurried down the corridor, slipping behind each column. Behind her, Zhou Ying struggled to keep up with her unrelenting friend.

"Xian!" Ying complained, rubbing her eyes once Xian had paused at another corner.

"Shh!" Xian commanded with her finger to her lips. "We must be quiet"

"…But, what are we looking for?" Ying inquired in a whispered, shuddering as she noticed a rat scamper by her feet. She resisted a sickened shriek, "P-please, can we go?!"

"No! We have to find them for Lord Xun!" Xian replied sourly at Ying's complaints.

"Find what?" Xian asked, with a titled head, but she was forced backwards by Xian and behind a column.

Xian gestured with a finger to her lips again to be absolutely silent. Just then, a lone Wei soldier came from around the corner. Xian waited for him to pass by and turn the far corner.

Being alone much of her life and left to fend for herself, she had learned well how to hide and take what she needed without being caught. This time, what she sought after was crucial.

Deciding it was safe to continue, Xian grasped Ying's hand and led her around the corner. She stopped in front of two large wooden doors with a thick lock coiled around the handles. She turned to Ying and murmured, "Keep watch, tell me if someone is coming"

Wide-eyed, Zhou Ying nodded with uncertainty as she scampered back towards the corner, peering around and seeing no one.

Xian removed a delicate hairpin Xuan had given her from her hair; it was genuine gold adorned with tiny charms at one end. Using the undecorated end, she slid it into the hole at the bottom of the lock. She could hear the tumblers turning, but the lock wouldn't break.

Suddenly, Ying snapped in nervous whisper from the corner, "Someone is coming!" The same soldier was approaching at a composed speed, unaware of her.

Xian could feel cool sweat trickling down her cheek as she searched for the correct way to unlock the door. But it wouldn't open and she could feel her fear and frustration increase.

"Hurry!" Xian called, looking back at her and then at the approaching soldier. He was only a few feet from the corner and Ying was already beginning to back away. "Xian…"

Finally, the satisfying shudder of the lock was heard as it unlocked and the chain was removed. Xian took Ying's hand and drug her through the door, slamming it shut just before the soldier came ambling around the corner with a loud yawn.

Xian, although nearly unable to see what she came for in the faint light, smiled as she realized her success. Ying, standing next to Xian, bent and grasped a long stick of firework. Before her she could vaguely make out large boxes filled with explosives.

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**Yay! I'm so glad I could get Sima Yi in the fic! –fuzzy feeling- Sorry this chappie was kinda shorter than others, but I really needed to update! lol And I wonder what Xun is up to with that dynamite! Ooooo XD Find out later! Hope you enjoyed! **


	33. For My Kingdom

**Hi again everyone! Happy late holidays! And happy new years! Not much to say except enjoy the new chappie! XD This chappie kinda shorter than usual T.T I'm sorry but I really wanted to get one in! n,n hope you like!**

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**Chapter 33 **

_**For My Kingdom**_

Before dawn, the Wei Palace infirmary…

"How can you be so foolish, Sire?" Zhou Yu asked, shaking his head in incredulity.

Sun Quan averted his eyes, incapable of keeping focus on Yu's distorted face. He was still intoxicated from the revelry the night before and now paid the consequences with a troublesome hangover. Some how, he had fractured his collar bone and his left knee, although he was unable to recall how. He also had nasty bruises on his face and arms.

"Quan, how did this happen?" Yu inquired, kneeling by the Wu Emperor, "this couldn't have been a simple accident"

Quan placed a hand to his face and replied, "I cannot remember, Yu, I…I cannot remember anything. My Father and Brother must be looking upon me in shame…" He sobbed, though the tears would bring him no honor and no retribution.

Yu placed a helpless hand on Quan's shoulder but Quan waved him away in indignity, "Leave me, please"

Leaving the room, Yu noticed the elder Qiao treading the halls slowly as if in a morbid trance. Ever since Sun Ce had passed, Yu had taken it upon himself to watch over Da in her loneliness. Plenty of suitors had come to the Wu palace with the desire to have her, but Yu had always been the one to turn them away even though it wasn't his place to intervene. But she had never protested; no one would ever replace Ce in her now bitter heart.

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Meanwhile, the Wei Library…

The sun had yet to break through the wide windows, making for a perfect time to creep around without fear of prying eyes. Like she had expected, Cao Jin came staggering into their chambers and had fallen into a disturbed slumber soon after. And she was free to sneak out without his knowing. In these early hours, not many were awake yet except a few generals and servants who were wise enough not to intoxicate themselves the night before.

In the far corner of the main library, a Wu messenger had instructed her to report only a few minutes before. Still shaken by her meeting with Sima Yi, she was reluctant to wander aimlessly alone.

Through the small cracks between the books and such she could see the small light of a candle flickering along with soft whispering. She discovered Lu Xun, Ling Tong and Lu Meng crouched behind the bookcase, studying several pieces of parchment on the floor.

Tong, noticing her first, addressed her with a teasing sigh, "Jeez, you sure take long enough, don't you?"

Scowling at him, Xuan knelt next to Xun, who only smiled, saying everything she wanted to hear without saying anything at all.

"Hey, Lovebirds, can we _focus_ here?" Tong suggested, waving a hand in front of Xun's face.

Xuan blushed, but Xun remained undeterred by the comment. He sorted through each of the parchments, which turned out to blueprints of each floor of the Wei palace. Finally he came upon the one he was searching for; it was the blueprints of the dungeon, the lowest floor of the palace.

"We only have three days to prepare" Xun stated, laying the parchment flat on the floor near the candle, "If Lady Sun was unable to persuade Liu Bei to assist us, then we need to do all we can"

"I have heard from a servant our Lord has been injured; coincidence?" Tong replied, "I bet it was planned by that stuck up prince, what's-his-face"

Meng shuck his head, "We cannot assume that, none of us were there to witness anything like that"

"Well, who else could have it been?!" Tong demanded bitterly, "I spoke with a servant who tended to Lord Quan after the 'incident', she says he has broken bones and cuts all over the place; how could that have happened unless he was beaten or something? And it took place on the ground floor, so it's not like he fell from a window or something like that"

"Tong's right" Xun concurred, nodding, "I also doubt it was accident"

"But…" Xuan murmured with uncertainty, earning three pairs of curios eyes staring at her, "Umm…I think there is someone else, other than Jin, involved in all this…"

"Who?" Xun asked tenderly.

"I spoke with Sima Yi last night…" Xuan replied, suddenly feeling a rigid sensation of fear climb her spine as she turned to look down the long aisles of books, expecting to see a dark figure watching but saw nothing, "I think he suspects us and or plan with Shu, but he didn't seem very fond of Jin either"

"Sima Yi? Did he harm you?" Xun inquired, wide-eyed and abruptly perturbed.

"No, but he did threaten me if I didn't give him any information" Xuan replied, blatantly keeping the threat against Xun out, "He left in failure though" She was unable to contain her smile of success against the master-mind.

"And you say he doesn't seem to follow Jin's plans either?" Meng inquired curiously.

"No, he foolishly told me that since Cao Cao and Cao Pi are gone that he would remove Jin from the throne and take Wei for himself" Xuan explained, confused by all the commotion spiraling around the palace.

"And he wants to make sure we don't rain on his parade, right?" Tong asked as he heaved a chuckle, "Jeez, this place must be run by a bunch of freaks or something"

"But nevertheless, we have another problem" Xun stated with a sigh, "This means we have to be more cautious about who we speak to. At this point, it is impossible to tell who is on what side of this quandary"

"We need to know more about what Sima Yi is going to do and how he plans to do it" Meng pointed out, "if he's been waiting for both Cao Cao and Cao Pi to die to make his move, then Yi must have been waiting for years and he won't let it be spoiled that easily"

"True" Xun studied the blueprints closely for a moment, noticing the tiny room on the parchment where Xian had found the explosives. He then eyed the candle, the flame inert without a moving breeze. "But if what I have planned goes accordingly, we can take care of both issues"

"…What are these for, Xun?" Xuan asked, pointing at the blueprints of the palace.

"I found these records in the conference room up stairs, hopefully they'll go unnoticed." He replied, placing his finger on the small room containing the explosives, "This room here contains all the fireworks for any special events and is in the very center of the dungeon floor" He placed the blueprints of the first floor on top of the dungeon blueprints and placed his finger on the room just above the room containing the fireworks, "And that room is just below the Grand Hall, where the most of the festivities take place"

"So?" Tong quirked a brow, "What are we gonna do with a bunch of fireworks?"

"The room containing the explosives is also part of the very foundation that supports this palace" Xun explained, "If the foundation is destroyed, this entire palace will collapse, taking anyone unfortunate enough to be inside with it. That room is also very small and filled with combustible explosives; an explosion in such a small vicinity with such magnitude would cause serious damage to the foundation resulting in it collapsing if not being disintegrated all together"

"You're going to blow up this palace" Xuan stated the inevitable and Xun looked to her with reluctant eyes, "You're going to kill everyone inside"

Xun said nothing.

Xuan was abruptly to her feet, "There are innocent people in this palace! People who have nothing to do with what Jin or Sima Yi is planning, you're going to sacrifice them for no reason at all? You can't just blow it up, where is the justice it that?! If you want this, I will not help you, I have met many here that I care for"

Xun stood and though he couldn't bear to see her so angry with him, he replied, "Xuan…My duty to my Kingdom comes before anything else, I have told you this" knowing it wouldn't bode well with her, he turned away from her. "I'm so sorry…"

"I didn't know one who seemed so kind…" Xuan murmured, her head down, "could have such a black heart"

She fumbled backwards before turning to run in search of the exit. Her tear blurred eyes, made her nearly collided with each of the large bookcases.

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**Oh, angsty. . But I'm glad I got to squeeze Tong in there and a little more Xuan/Xun time even though it was kinda…more like 'I hate you' time in this one…hehe…can't we all just get along!! T.T Ah well, will see what happens next time! Hope you enjoyed! Reviews are very much loved!**


	34. My Obsession

**Welcome back! I hope your all getting a nice helping of suspense! Enjoy chapter 34 Woot! This chappie is soley about the Jin/Xuan/Xun conflict so it's kinda short n,n;**

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**Chapter 34 **

**My Obsession**

Midday, the same day; The Palace Garden…

With the leaving of a bitter winter, spring arrived in full bloom. Zhen Ji's chrysanthemum garden flourished in the newly radiant sun even without her own radiant presence, rejoicing by spreading new blossoms and rising towards the sky. A small pond nearby was concealed by a thick surface of White Lotus flowers. Watching buzzing dragonflies bustle about in their daily tasks of mingling around each blossom, Sun Xuan sat on a poured white carven pedestal in the center of the garden.

She watched the tranquil life flourish around her, but the vision of it all going up in flames from Xun's dire plan made it all feel so…pointless.

But why did she care? This place had brought her nothing but grief from the very day she arrived. Perhaps it wasn't such a terrible thing at all; having the palace destroyed.

On the other hand, she had met Cao Li here and Zhen Ji. She made great, though few, memories in that palace. And the simple concept of letting innocent people die inside simply to murder one insignificant person seemed immoral.

But then what? If Shu didn't come, how would Wu save themselves?

Perplexed, Xuan heaved a frustrated sigh. _'What do I do?' _

"Xuan?" A deep, refined voice murmured behind her. Standing, Xuan greeted Lady Wu with a small, nervous smile. She still was hesitant about the Empress; ever since she wouldn't believe Xuan about Jin's plans. She wouldn't even regard her with the smallest glance. And yet, since the meeting in the library, Xuan was beginning to question her own decisions.

"Sitting alone?" Wu inquired whimsically, observing the scenic garden nearby, "Why is that, this celebration is for you"

Indifferent, Xuan sat again as she stared at her hands in her lap. "Celebration" She echoed with a repugnant expression as if the word tasted terrible as it passed her lips. "More like a funeral"

Lady Wu sat next her, her expression unchanged and her interest seeming to be taken by the flowers, "Still angry?"

Xuan gawked at her, confused.

Bemused by Xuan's confused expression, Wu grinned and continued, "Xun asked me to talk to you" This made Xuan scoff an aggravated sound in her throat, but Wu only chuckled. "He tells me you gave him quite a lecture"

"I did, did he tell you why, since he's probably blathering plenty of lies about what happened?"

Wu frowned, "Xun has never uttered a lie in his life. In your bold attitude, at least regard him with that respect" Intimidated by her anger, Xuan bit her lip. Lady Wu expression returned to sentiment as she continued, "And he did happen to tell me why"

Wide-eyed, Xuan stared at her, "Then, you know what he plans to do?"

"Destroy this palace? Yes,"

Xuan abruptly stood, "Isn't that awful? His actions are as appalling as Jin's!"

Undeterred, Wu didn't look at her, "To protect you and I, drastic things must be done"

"He is a fraud!" Xuan roared, and after a moment, she added "How am I the only one that sees no justice in killing the innocent people who call this palace home? Not everyone here believes the way Jin does"

Lady Wu stood, still with a stern expression, but as she spoke a vague fear formed on her face, "And that is war, my dear"

Xuan said nothing as she stared back at the Empress, feeling so helpless.

"And in War, the innocent are sacrificed for the good of the whole. That is the world we live in" Wu stated, frowning "And that is why I…didn't listen to you before, when you told be about Jin's plans. I believed you, I know what he's going to do. But there is nothing I can do…"

"But you are the Empress! You have the power to get the Wu army out of this palace; without the destruction, without the sorrow…"

"I am afraid…I don't" Wu replied nostalgically, "I am just as helpless as you are. And like you, I wish I could make it all stop; all the death, all the anguish that our corrupted country endures…But I cannot. Even if Quan ordered the entire army out of Wei right this moment, we would still be so very vulnerable. And if we want to escape this place alive, Xun's plan must happen"

Xuan covered her face with her hands, attempting to hold back tears "How can that be the only way…?"

Embracing her like a long lost friend, Wu replied in a whisper, "Heaven has frowned on us and we have little to hope for. So believe in Xun; he won't let you down. Not you"

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Meanwhile,

Cao Jin walked the halls in a miserable haze. After heavy drinking and the inability to sleep no matter how tired he was, he staggered to and fro, feeling the walls. Inwardly, he was looking for Xuan with an awkward concern about her.

And yet, he had never experienced a more powerful hate for her ever since finding the hidden journal. Simultaneously, in his drunken state, he desired to find Xun and do away with him once and for all. Jin was inconceivably _tormented_ with the image of Xuan with Xun. And he was uncertain if it was jealousy that ailed him or simply disgust, of course he sided with the latter.

Unfortunately, it wasn't Lu Xun who discovered him; it was his father and grandfathers advisor, Sima Yi.

"Why, sir, you should be resting" Yi suggested with no intention to help as Jin fell to one knee, groggily.

"No…I'm fine…" The slurred words came off so strangely compared to his normally casual demeanor, "Where is…Xuan?"

"I believe I saw her in the corridor leading to the Garden, but that was quite some time ago" Yi explained as he proudly fanned himself, "Why, she didn't consult you? How improper of a wife"

"It doesn't matter" Jin replied bitterly, willing himself to stand, "She's probably in the company of someone anyhow"

A wicked smirk crept onto Yi's face as he watched the new emperor vainly rub his eyes to aid his drowsy feeling, "You must mean that little Wu scoundrel, Lu Xun, correct?"

The name struck Jin like with such envy that he was forced to turn away from the strategist. "Don't utter his foul name"

"Yes, I know how you hate him so" Yi replied and was suddenly struck with an idea as he followed Jin down the corridor, stopping every so often as the young emperor regained composure.

"Sire, although I know you would rather not hear it, but may I inform of something I saw this morning," Yi inquired with a tragic tone.

Jin didn't respond.

"I must inform you that I saw the young Empress leave your chambers and sneak into the Library this morning, before the sun rose" This seemed to arouse Jin's interest as he tried to focus on Yi, "Yes, she was in the Library for quite sometime"

"She was with _him?_" The question seethed from Jin's lips as he tried to keep from swaying.

"I am not certain, Sire. I'm afraid I didn't follow her inside"

"The little whore…" Jin murmured under his breath. Apparently, he wasn't keeping tight enough ties around her. Or perhaps he was letting the Wu strategist a little to free around his palace. "Find him; I'll get rid of him myself"

"Now now, Sire, you are in no state to do such things" Yi reasoned, feeding Jin's insecurities, "You are letting your anger become the best of you…or is it that you're…jealous, perhaps?"

Jin grasped the wall next to him as he turned to leer at Yi with blank, glassy eyes. "Nonsense! What have I to be jealous of him about? Xuan? She can be easily replaced"

"Can she?" Yi inquired with a mischievous tone, "Come, Sire, I can see the way you are. Always wondering where she is, who she's with, and angry when it's not with you, correct?"

"Enough!" Jin shouted, covering his ears, but still able to hear Yi's piercing voice invade his thoughts.

"You cannot stand that she doesn't fancy you" Yi stated, able to see it in Jin' pale face that it was very true. Everything was going perfectly. "And now with your precious mother gone, you have _nothing_"

Cao Jin fell against the wall until ending up on the floor with head in his hands.

"You hate her and yet that hate is incomparable to the need to have her; and the _only_ one to have her. Do you know what such a dark love is called, young Sire?" Yi asked, fanning himself, "Obsession"

Jin made no motion of objection; instead he let Yi's dangerous words invade his already chaotic mind of hate and anguish.

"I can guarantee she is smitten with him now" Yi whispered, a triumphant smirk appearing on his face again. Although it was untrue, Xuan's name had been tainted; Jin's anger and jealousy would prove Yi victorious. He wanted Wei for himself and the only ones in the way were this pathetic, insecure prince and one who could take his all of his plans up in flames.

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**Aww I'm feelin' bad for Jin now ---- Oh well, his misery makes good suspense! And that sneaky Sima Yi! . . –lol- Hope you enjoyed! **


	35. Vanished

**Hi again everyone! Thx to all of you who have been reading this far, it means a lot. Cookies for you! 3 Enjoy the chappie! **

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**Chapter 35 **

**Vanished**

That evening, the Wei Palace, in the courtyard…

The sun had withdrawn behind the thick trees and the loud clicking of the crickets had arisen from the grass. Two strategists were slowly making their way across the long courtyard. Walking casually along the cobbled path of the courtyard, Lu Xun and Zhou Yu shared the same concerns.

At this point, very little was going accordingly; they heard nothing from Sun Shang Xiang and now Cao Jin didn't appear to be their only or greatest adversary anymore. And now as they walked, attempting to appear casual, they knew that Sima Yi was watching from the darkest peak of the palace for the smallest falter.

"I would have expected some sort of message from Shang Xiang by now" Xun stated anxiously, his hands clasped behind his back, "We'll be expecting them tomorrow sometime"

"It doesn't matter" Yu replied in defeat, "The _Shé_ would have intercepted any contact from Shu"

"Well, we're ready for the reinforcement plan if Shu doesn't succeed in coming" Xun concluded adversely, "We prepared the proceedings this morning after Xuan…" He trailed off in slight regret.

"I happened to address Her Highness, Lady Wu, earlier" Yu told him mirthlessly, "She told me Sun Xuan was quite distraught. But you still insist on continuing with your plans"

"Yes" Xun said firmly, "I can't be enticed from my priorities. And yet, I still question what attachment she could have formed with this place" He pondered allowed as he gazed back at the mighty Wei Palace. "There is no contentment, no mirth in it. What is there to love?"

"I'm afraid, we share the same wonder" Yu said hollowly, for once having no fathom of what love could be made of such a gloomy palace.

"Yu!" A innocent, distressed voice screeched from behind them. "Xun!"

Yu turned abruptly, recognizing the strident voice of his wife. Xiao was scrambling towards them like she always did, but this time her face read nothing but fear and trepidation.

"Xiao, what is it?" Yu demanded, placing both hands on her shoulders.

Xiao desperately to explain as she captured her breath, "It's Xuan, I saw Lord Jin striking her!"

"What?!" Xun snapped, wide-eyed as he loomed over her, "When?!"

"A few moments ago!" Xian cried, in tears now, "She was returning from the garden, Da and I were going to greet her when Jin appeared and grabbed her arms. And he struck her many times, Yu, I wanted to help, but I knew I could not!" She wailed, her knees failing her. "He saw us and was going to strike us as well, but we managed to escape him"

Yu grimaced at Xun, who stared back in stirred rage.

The elder strategist nodded before staring down at Xiao, "Stay here Xiao, alright?"

Xiao gazed teary eyes up at him, "Please, be careful"

Xun hastily entered the outer corridor with Yu behind him. He nearly missed Da, pressed against the wall in utter fear. She was shaking compulsively, witnessing her daughter being beaten. Xun paused, scowling at her for ridiculing him so many times. And now she stared back, wide-eyed with the image of the man she had given her own child to striking her without mercy.

But Xun and Yu left the woman, without the slightest comfort.

Entering the Grand Hall, Xun discovered Ling Tong and Lu Meng conversing in a bored manner.

"Meng!" Xun exclaimed, approaching them hastily with Yu close behind.

"Xun, Yu, what's up?" Tong inquired, noticing their breathless excitement.

"Xuan; have you seen her?" Xun demanded, "I must find her"

"No, we haven't" Meng replied in concern, "Xun, what happened?"

Xiao reported that she witnessed Jin beating Xuan" Yu explained, seeming to have regained most of his composure unlike Xun, who was insatiable. "But we don't know where he may have taken her"

"I saw some chamber maids running around like their cheongsams were on fire" Tong announced, "But I didn't make much of it"

Xun turned away in disdain, "Damn it" If no one could tell him where that snake had taken her, he'd have to find her himself. He pushed past several Wei soldiers who were snickering amongst themselves; it was needless to say they were appalled.

"Xun!" Tong exclaimed, appearing in front of him, "You can't go find Jin now! What about our—" He was forced to stop himself, realizing how loud he was. "What about all we have planned?" He asked in a perturbed whisper.

"He's right, Xun" Yu added, approaching, "But we also have to do something to find Xuan"

Through gritted teeth, Xun pondered their words. Was Xuan worth it all? Was she worth jeopardizing all they had accomplished? And yet, wasn't she the reason why he had risked his life to travel to Wei during the Wedding ceremony? And now, he risked life and limb to escape alive with her. All he had fought for, all he had risked had been for her sake.

And he, at that moment, decided the time for acting was now.

"Tong, remember what you were supposed to do when it was time?" Xun inquired, furtively.

"Yeah"

"Well, that time is here" Xun stated firmly, "Tell Meng and the others, were doing this now"

"But Xun—"

"Go!" Xun ordered, pushing passed him and disappearing behind the thick velvet curtain.

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Meanwhile…

Sun Xuan was only half conscious now. She could taste her own blood in her mouth. It trickled down her face, stained her fair skin and silk clothing. She had begged and pleaded him to stop, but she was physically unable to speak. It was dark and she was unable to see anything but the blur of his armor in front of her eyes as she pressed her head against him, lacking balance.

And again he struck her.

And again.

He grasped a hand full of her hair and forced her face to look at his, but she couldn't see anything but a blurred silhouette. _'Please stop…'_ She could feel his breath against her cheek and his voice, too dark and too close. "What have you done to me…?"

The next thing she knew she was thrown against a hard wall. She still couldn't see Jin, but she could hear him stalking around knocking things over in rage. He was shouting and scorning her, calling sadistic names of ridicule.

"I had an ambition, a dream to rule all of China!" Cao Jin exclaimed, throwing something against the wall where she lay, "And then you ruined it all, damned whore!"

'_Why…?'_ Sun Xuan couldn't fathom what it was she had done; she had purposefully avoided Xun and his plans. Why hate her now?

"Tell me, Xuan dearest" Jin retorted in a mocking tone, cupping hand under her chin, "How is Xun? Has taken good care of you? Has he made you soft skin _crawl_?" A sadistic laugh rose from him as he slipped his hand beneath her dress.

Xuan swung a loose fist aimlessly at him, but he caught her wrist and squeezed it tightly.

"Stop!" Xuan exclaimed, begging for his mercy, "I have done nothing with him! I swear it!"

"But you love him, not me," Jin let her hand drop and he stood, "Even though I have tried to please you with lavish cheongsams and trinkets…all for nothing. But it doesn't matter anymore" He stared down upon her, watching blood dribble from her forehead. "If you won't love me…If I can't have you, neither can he"

Jin abruptly turned away and stalked towards the door, cackling sadistically.

"You're insane" Xuan murmured just as the door was slammed shut and locked and the daze consumed her.

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A few minutes later, the infirmary…

Sun Quan, unable to move due to the pain of his injury, found himself talking to two children, Zhou Ying and Li Xian. Both were beaming with curiosity over his wound.

"Uncle, are you going to be alright?" Ying asked wide-eyed.

Quan chuckled, "Yes, I'll be alright. Isn't it time for you two to be asleep?"

Before the two children could reply, the infirmary door flew open. Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan stalked inside, brandishing they're large weapons. Both chuckled as Yuan snapped, "Yes, isn't it time for you two to be sleeping?"

"What are you doing here?" Quan barked even though he was in no condition to be doing so.

"Shut up" Dun spat as he grabbed Ying by her hair and drug her to her feet. She cried out in pain and fright.

"Stop!" Quan exclaimed, "Release her!"

Xian, in a fit of pride and panic to save her friend, leaped to her feet and kicked Dun robustly in a place that forced him on one knee. He accidentally released Ying, who scampered back to Xian.

"You brat!" Yuan exclaimed, reaching for Xian. But both girls miraculously escaped. They rushed down corridor, desperate for safety.

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Meanwhile, the Garden…

Lady Wu, aimlessly walking around the garden soon found herself ambling around the garden. She could hear subtle sounds emerging from the forestry but she gave little heed. As she slowly made her way towards the palace again, the wicked silence sent a chill up her spine. She turned her back towards the palace, observing the large, dark garden; it had lost its peaceful appeal as the sunlight faded. It now haunted her with an unnerving sense of evil.

"Good evening, you're Highness"

Wu turned abruptly, discovering Sima Yi looming over her. He held his fan over half is face, but she could tell that he had an malevolent smile plastered on his features.

"Hello, Lord Sima Yi" Lady Wu replied with a feeling of danger making her hands shake.

"Such royalty as you shouldn't be out here alone" Yi murmured darkly, "You could easily be hurt"

Suddenly, several masked rogues, the bandits that had attacked her army on the journey to Wei, swarmed around her. They brandished large razor hooks, raised high of their heads. The sharp blade glimmered in the moonlight and made her heart race.

Wu cringed, pressing her hands to her chest, "Please…" She begged, staring into the masked faces, wide-eyed.

"Please what, my Lady?" Yi inquired, chuckling sadistically, "They won't harm you, if you comply"

Wu began to tremble, but attempted to remain strong like her late husband, "What do you want of me?"

"Don't ask so many questions," Yi replied, gesturing his fan towards the masked figures, who grasped tightly onto Wu's arms. She made a small shriek of terror, "And you won't end up like your fallen husband and son"

Wu's hands were bound behind her back, a gag was in her mouth, and a blind fold was tied over her eyes. Next thing she knew, she was being carried away to somewhere unknown.

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**Things are getting sticky! Well, I hope you enjoyed all the evilness! Please review and cya next time! **


	36. Blood and Beauty

**Now that our junior research papers are done, that's one less burden on my shoulders --; If I'm lucky, I got a passing grade –prays- Now we got to present them DX The next chappie may come later than usual, which already takes too long But I have some other fics ppl have wanting some updates on –facepalm- So yea lol Enjoy this chappie! Reviews are loved! **

**NOTE****: Oh and I apologize if you were reading thus far and realized that there are no longer section dividers in the chapter, FFN has decided not to support dashes so now all previous chapters look like one really long segment. So I am sorry for that, it was pointless for them to change it. I'll have new ones from here on out.**

**0000**

**Chapter 36 **

**Blood and Beauty**

After midnight, Xu Chang, the outer city…

Everything had changed so abruptly and by midnight, the capital city of Xu Chang was plunged into turmoil. Violence had erupted and the city was awoken by the ear-splitting cry of masked bandits. The blue horde of the _Shé _swarmed the small, stone dwellings where innocent civilians attempted to flee in panic. Wu soldiers were ambushed and slain alongside children, painting the city streets with blood. It was now that Cao Jin's true intentions became known.

Women screamed as they searched the through the bloodshed to find they're lost children in the streets only to find them lying murdered on the ground. Wu soldiers made an effort to fight back, but all in vain. Large crescent blades caught the light of full moon until they were completely obscured by fresh blood of another victim.

Amidst the confusion, a valiant general stood with his gallant halberd, White Tiger, in hand. Standing before the massive gateway towards the palace, Lu Meng was appalled by the destruction before him; the innocent dying for nothing.

Cool armor brandished in the lucid moonlight, he addressed the enemy in abhorrence, "Damned fools, the innocent have committed no crime to deserve this!"

He raised the jagged spear as the masked bandits rushed him, gleaming hooks raised above their heads. Before the realized their blunder, they met their fate under the prowess of the Wu general. But hundreds upon hundreds of blue clad bandits scoured the city while some escaped to the palace.

"We must keep them from continuing to the palace!" Taishi Ci exclaimed ambling from the gates as he gestured to the bandits leaping the wall and rushing the palace, "We must push them back!"

"Yes," Meng agreed, gaining a fighting stance and facing the serpent bandits before him. Taishi Ci, standing aside his companion, held his steel bludgeons, Tiger Slayers, tightly in both hands.

"For Wu!"

**0000 **

Meanwhile, the Wei Palace, the crypt…

Descending the stone stairwell, Ling Tong could already smell the dank stench of the dungeon. In one hand, he held a flaming torch and in the other he held his steel trimmed Numchucks. As he descended onto the damp floor of the dungeon he was suddenly discovered by three bandit members who had been waiting for him.

Undeterred, a smirk crept onto the slick Wu generals face, "Heh, I hear you guys are all over the place" He stated, twirling the Numchucks skillfully in his hands, "I guess you wanna take me on now, huh?"

They didn't reply of course, instead they rushed towards him with weapons held high and aimed for him.

"Well, bring it on! I'll show that pirate what real fighting's all about!" He exclaimed, laughing in excitement before shouting upwards, "Watch me, dad!"

Suddenly, his foot connected to the gut of one of his foes, bringing them to their knees. He could hear the splitting of bones as the Numchucks crashed into the spine of the collapsed assassin. He spun, greeting another in the face with a swift and powerful strike of his Numchucks. Crashing onto the stone floor, the bandit grasped his bludgeoned face in agony as shattered fragments of the masked pierced the skin and eyes. The last looked upon his fallen allies and though Tong couldn't see his face, he could detect the terror in his enemy's eyes.

"Aha, that was great!" Tong chuckled, grinning eagerly at his final foe with anticipation.

With a shaken battle cry, the remaining assassin lunged forward, nearly puncturing Tong's stomach with the razor tip of the hook. Dodging with agile speed, Tong caught the bandits arm in a painful bound with the chain of the Numchucks. The bandit cried out at the chain lashed into his skin, ripping the fabric of the blue outfit.

"Take this!" Suddenly, the flaming torch set the wooden mask ablaze and the assassin's screams intensified. With a swift elbow to the chest, the bandit fell attempting to extinguish the blaze but was still lift lying on the dank floor in anguish.

"Well it was fun guys, but I gotta go" Tong called over his shoulder in a tantalizing tone as he continued into the dark crypt. He stopped and studied the dimly lit passages and the rusted cells where skeletal figures still lay. Distantly he could hear water dropping in an endless, repetitive cycle.

"Hmm…" He mumbled in perplexity, "Now where is that explosives room again?"

**0000 **

In the meantime, the Wei Palace, The eastern second level corridor…

Separated from the others, Zhou Yu searched for his daughter and had failed so far. He spurned himself for allowing her to run unsupervised around the enemy bastion. Only Heaven knew where she could be. He prayed for her that she was still alright; he prayed to Sun Ce for his blessing to assist him in locating her. But with each step in the dark, each empty room he came upon, his faith was slowly withering.

And Xiao; he had abandoned her in the courtyard along with Da, whom he had vowed to Ce that he would protect. He could only imagine them waiting in fright as Cao Jin's assassin's swarmed the palace.

His Ancients Sword quivered in his hand as he listened to the distant cries of dying men. The lights of fire and gleaming swords showed through the open windows as Wu soldiers and Wei assassin's battled.

He had thrown open yet another door to find an empty guest room, when suddenly he heard another cry of terror amongst the cries of the dying; the cry of a child, a girl's cry.

Following the shouts he discovered Zhou Ying and her friend lying cringed together on the wooden floor of the corridor. Over them stood the Butterfly General, Zhang He, and several _Shé_ bandits at his side.

"I do apologize" Zhang He admonished as if apologetic, though he was chuckling, "It is sad such beautiful children must die this way"

Zhou Ying and Li Xian cringed close, wrapping arms around each other with eyes clenched closed as they awaited fate. It all seemed so slow as the claws of He's Phoenix Talon's glinted in the fervent moonlight, but death never came for the children. Once eyes were opened, they discovered Zhou Yu with the tip of sword at the Butterfly's throat. The blue clad assassin's stood behind He, ready in impatience for their commander's instruction to attack.

"Father!" Ying exclaimed in overwhelming relief as she leaped to her feet and hid behind her father with her friend next to her.

"So that was the Great Zhou Yu's daughter, hmm?" Zhang He cooed, grinning without slinking away from the blade at his throat, "I had wondered where I had seen such beauty before"

Yu's eyes remained indifferent and not amused, "Enough, you will regret laying hands on my child"

Zhang He simply appeared all the more elated, exchanging glances from Yu to Ying and Xian. He drew his claws and slowly slid them to and fro along Yu's sword like some licentious game, "You needn't lay your resentment upon me, dear sir. I simply follow the orders of my beloved Lord, Jin"

"Your 'benevolent' Lord will die soon enough" Yu retorted, his immoral anger rising.

A dark chuckle rose from the Butterfly General as he replied with a wide smile, "As will yours"

Zhou Yu was caught off guard by the statement when Zhang He abruptly swiped Yu's blade away from his throat, the clash knocking the Wu general from his confusion about his Lord.

Zhou Ying and Li Xian cried out, fumbled backwards as they fled to a distant column. They watched wide-eyed in fear as Yu regained composure as He's claws clashed with his sword.

The Butterfly general signaled with his remaining claw towards the bandits who obeyed. They surrounded the lone Wu general, jagged crescents raised high.

Zhang He smiled brightly at Yu though the narrow spaces between his claws, "Oh, beloved general, I will certainly hate having to ravage such a beautiful face!"

Zhou Yu forced He aback as he retaliated with a sharp kick into the general's stomach. He stumbled backwards and the assassin's rushed the Wu general. Yu evaded their strikes, cracking the skull of one with the butt end of his weapon. Swiftly, he sliced the blade across the torso of another who fell backwards onto the ground, staining the floor. Yu caught the crescent hook as it fell from the bandit's hand and pierced the stomach of another at they leapt towards him. Now one on one with the Butterfly General, Yu watched He stand with an offended expression.

Yu backed against the wall as Zhang He lunged for Yu's stomach with a cry in fury. The Wu general skillfully evaded and He's claw was lodged into the hardwood. He yanked at it, but it wouldn't budge. Letting it wobble as he released it, He deflected Yu's sword with his remaining claws as it came down upon him. Yu's hand swung backwards as the force pushed at his wrist and He made a hasty slash at the general's face.

Blood poured from two cuts on Zhou Yu's cheek, but the wound wasn't enough to stop the valiant Wu general. Yu drew the sword sidelong, cut deeply into Zhang He's arm and the Butterfly General cried out in agony. He stumbled away, not taking his disdainful eyes off Yu. He held his wounded arm as slouched forward, unable to lift his claws.

"I did not know beauty could be so evil" He seethed, his face cringed in pain. Through the throbbing in his arm, he raised his claws, ready and willing for more of his enemy, "For my Lord, I will not flee from you"

Zhang He rushed towards Yu, but only to meet an unforgiving blade through his stomach. He fought the desire to cry out and slumped forward onto the sword, grasping the blade and slicing his hands.

"At least I was fortunate to lose to someone so…beautiful" murmured the Butterfly General as he slid from the blade and lay crumbled on the floor. Blood rushed from the fallen body and glinted in the white light of the moon.

**0000 **

A few moments later, The Wei Palace, the Emperor's level corridor…

Undeterred by the malevolence of the silence and treading deeper into the Phoenix's nest, the young Wu strategist pressed his back against the wall. Avid in avoiding the light from the windows and keeping to the shadows for disguise, he could hear no one. Perhaps the assassin's awaited for a mistake, an accidental misstep into the light before attacking or perhaps they had been commanded to stay away. Perhaps some one knew he would be coming here.

From where Lu Xun stood, pressed into the wall, he could faintly perceive the handles of the doors into the Emperor's chamber. It was faint but he had an unnerving feeling that it was here where Cao Jin was keeping her.

It appeared to be such an evident place to hide someone, but perhaps that was the purpose. Is this what Jin wanted, to lure Xun into a snare thinking he had safely found Xuan when he had not?

Whether coincidental or purposeful, Xun was prepared for whatever Cao Jin had for him.

As he approached, he could feel a strong sense of wickedness emanating from the large embellished doors. As if evil had accumulated over the generations of housing tyrants and powerful overlords; it seemed like a demon awaited him. And it waited with hungry eyes and a thirst for his blood and pleas for mercy.

Placing an admonished hand on the handle, he found it to be icy cold. Slowly, he pushed it open and he could see several candles lit on the table through the small crevice. The waxes of the candles were barely melted, depicting that they were newly lit.

Cautiously, Xun opened the door further and there on the floor in front of the bed, Xuan lay unconscious in a bloody heap. Her hair was untidy as if someone had been forcefully grabbing and pulling at it and her clothes were torn and stained with her blood. Abruptly, something in Xun pulled him towards her and then something stronger held him back, that something was a threatening blade at his back.

"Welcome" An icy voice said behind him, making his skin crawl, "Xuan and I have been expecting you"

**0000 **

**Well, this chappie was a headache, I am terrible with fighting scenes but I try . But anyways, I got that Warriors Orochi game and it's pretty awesome. I still loved that SW story where you have to save poor little Xun XD Sadly, after I saved him, he goes and gets himself killed. I was like what the hell, man?! Lol I hope you like the chappie, I actually added some canon characters and their weapons, which it took me forever to find the names for. 'til next time, loves! 3**


	37. Love

**Hallo, 'member me? Sorry for the sudden and LONG absence, a bunch of things have been happening lately. Mainly that I'm losing interest in this fic and I feel it lacks an interesting flow. I reread it myself and I went "What the hell was I thinking?" too many times and I was disappointed by the very minimized diversity of reviewers. **

**But I missed writing about Jin and all his evilness 3 But I hope you've gotten at least some enjoyment out of this Enjoy. **

**-- **

**Chapter 37 **

_**Love**_

The Wei Palace, the crypt…

Deep within the dank crypt, the sparsely hung torches had begun to wither without the frequent relighting. The stench of decayed bodies of the forgotten polluted the narrow halls as Ling Ting stood, perplexed. Brackish water seeped through the crevices in the ceiling, landing impeccably on the bridge of his nose. Three red-eyed and grubby little rats scampered by his feet, squeaking and hissing as they wiggled into a fracture in the wall at the dead end Tong had reached. And was only now he wished he had the navigation skills of something as inferior as a rat.

The young general sighed in despair, "C'mon Tong!" He hissed to himself, peered down the endless hall he had come down, "If that kid, that little _girl_, can figure out where that room is, why can't _you_?!"

With eager determination he returned down the uneven corridor in haste and when he reached the main keep, the sight of the dead, mangled bodies within the cells made him shutter. But he pressed on passed them, feeling the reek nip at his nose.

**-- **

Meanwhile…

"A beautiful night, don't you agree?" His voice was lethal with malice as he drew his cold fingers over the ebony feathers, "The cries of your lowly servants, almost as exquisite a sound as the cries of the Wei Empress on the night _she_ died"

The perilous evening had descended into a new day and soon the golden sun would rise, shedding light on all that had happened in the black of the night. And then, his goal will have been accomplished; the supreme ambition that he had hungered for, power. Many had died and would die in this conquest, but that was certainly a small price to pay.

"You will not succeed, demon," The feeble Wu Empress murmured with tire and abhorrence. Bound and blinded, she recoiled against a cold wall. Would she be fated to this malevolent demise like the late Zhen Ji, all because of this terrible man? Next to her, her son, lay in a stupor, questioning time and time again as to where he was.

"Silence, pathetic fool!" Sima Yi snapped from where he stood next to the window. However, Sun Quan continued his incoherent mumbling from where he was hunched over next to his mother. Sima Yi smiled though, proud at what he had reduced the Wu Emperor to. The possession Yi had over Quan during the passed months had succeeded splendidly. It had taken little to subdue him.

Now that the trance was broken, the withdrawal had left Quan in a harsh daze.

"What have you done to my son?" Wu demanded venomously, longingly to reach out and take Quan into her arms like she did when he was just a boy. It was agonizing to hear his weeping so clearly, but not being capable to see nor reach out to him.

"You query my brilliance, woman?" inquired the strategist, whose venom was far more potent then the frail Empress'. Then he chuckled, a menacing cackle that sent chills through any who opposed him, "A simple mind is a simple obstacle. He was an effortless host to control"

"You possessed my son?" The fury rising in her ordinarily serene tone; Sun Jian had once referred to her as a majestic tigress he had once seen. Her refinement and beauty was unmistakable, but also her wrath and dedication to her kin was nothing to tamper with. However, the tigress was robbed of her claws now as she struggled with the ties that bound her wrists.

"Damned snake, you will repent for the innocent souls you have deceived and stolen," Wu muttered halfheartedly, certain that he could hear her. She could almost see the grin that was forming on the villainous face.

"Your slander is amusing," He informed her, glancing at Quan who was now groaning at the growing pain in his knee and chest. Surely when Dun and Yuan had thrown him down there, the injuries had suffered indefinably, "Innocent? I think not. Though it is immaterial, those who are unworthy to challenge my intellect merit no clemency"

"…It was you," Wu fumed, more enthused as the realization set in, "Cao Jin was simply a pawn in your vicious sport, an atrocious façade to lure us from the reality!"

"Though slow, you are not as thick as you seem, My Lady," Sima Yi replied sardonically, unfazed by her outburst, "First, the downfall of Wei, and now Wu; I truly impress even myself"

"Why must the innocent suffer; why the loyal citizens of Wei?" Wu could feel the warmth of tears staining the blindfold, "Why my granddaughter?"

"Why, My Lady?" The mockery was as delicious to Yi as it was excruciating to her, "Despite my unparalleled brilliance, do you know why it is so effortless to comprehend even the enigmatic Zhuge Liang?"

Yi fanned himself in boredom, the fascination with her anger growing old, "Sun Jian, Liu Bei, Cao Jin, Lu Xun, even the defiant Lu Bu; All have the same downfall, the same foolish ruin that condemned you to nothing in the end. Love"

Lady Wu pursed her lips, unable to make sense of such absurdity.

"Yes, Love. Perhaps the strangest emotion that seduces even the most stubborn into obedience," Yi stated with a grin, "Like trained dogs, target their love and even the most indomitable become puppets. The moment Lu Bu's cold eyes targeted Diao Chan, he had a weakness. The same for Cao Pi and now the monster has even the resolute Lu Xun running towards his doom. Like a drug, it has one beguiled by the effects"

"How imprudent an analysis!" Wu said through gritted teeth, "Love is sacred, a source of elation that even Lu Bu may have not known until meeting Diao Chan. Perhaps it is you that it has been fooled; a demon, a snake like you, will never know such a privilege"

Suddenly, she didn't realize how close he was until he spoke, "How true," Yi replied, his frightful tone had her back pressed to the wall, "I haven't felt this _privilege_," He spoke the word with revulsion and all the trivial sarcasm in his voice had vanished, "And those who have, will be writhing in blood; they must feel so undeniably _privileged"_

**-- **

The Wei Palace, the Emperor's Chamber…

This skirmish had led into the black hours of the morning and yet neither felt tire, nor monotony. But the fight droned on, neither with the upper hand over the other. One with potent ingenuity and the other with furtive vigor and yet such skills meant nothing in this duel. A battle that had long since been prolonged for both, it would be the finale to a deadly resentment.

The prince, steadfast and skilled in swordplay, was persistent in keeping the lethal smirk on his bloodied face. The pain was almost pleasurable now. Insane, perhaps he was, perhaps this harsh world had made him so. He did not fear death; it was always a shadow behind him. Now he felt it closer than ever before, offering peace, but he would not die so easily. Not without taking this foe with him.

But the Wu strategist was beginning to falter; physical combat had never come easily. And the prince was prudent in keeping him struggling, never able to strike.

"I can see you struggle, how intriguing," Cao Jin snapped through a fiendish laugh and his vicious smile.

Under their feet the polished floor was littered with shredded robes and splintered furniture. A lamp was precariously overturned on the floor next to a collapsed tea table. There was a shattered effigy of a phoenix lying in pieces on the floor next to the bed where Xuan still lay in a bloody heap; it seemed to prove the reality of this kingdom's true falling.

Xun was pushed back, pressed against a shaky vanity table as Jin drove his hefty blade down on Xun's saber. The impact shuck the smaller blade, nearly shattering the strategist's wrist and he was forced to let it clatter onto the floor. With the remaining saber held firmly in defense, Xun jutted one sturdy boot into Jin's abdomen and with a howl of surprise, the prince stumbled back.

But Cao Jin lunged again, gleaming canines showing in ferocity and Xun reached behind him for anything on the table that would assist him. He fumbled with a small copper container and when the blade was mere inches from his stomach, Xun slung it into Jin's face. The gaping container sent ashen powder raining into the dark air, stinging the prince's eyes. He howled once again in shock, dropping the blade onto the cluttered floor.

Lu Xun struck empty air as Jin shrewdly evaded and blindly clouted him with the back of his hand. Stricken by the blow, Xun staggered a few feet away from the table.

"Damn you!" Jin growled, reaching for his fallen weapon as he struggled with his footing. He placed one foot on the bulky tea table and shoved it forward. It slid haphazardly and collided with a garlanded armoire as Xun dodged. Jin approached with menacing black eyes and horrid intentions; he slid the tip of his blade through the hook of the lamp on the floor. He held the fractured lantern steadily on the end of the sword as he watched Xun, who was slightly hunched and breathing deeply.

Cao Jin slung the broken lamp into the air and it struck a silken screen broadside. The small flame caught the fabric and engulfed the wide room in a fury of vivid, auburn light. Xun evaded instinctively and Jin charged, his sword clashing with the strategist's. Pressed against the wall as thwarted each of Jin's swings, Xun noticed the gleam of metal from the corner of his eye. He tugged at the hilt of the halberd that was hung for adornment. Jin lunged and his blade dredged into the wood of the wall, stuck.

The halberd loosened and Xun swung it blindly at Jin. It struck him hard across the cheek and he staggered backwards, growling in pain. Crimson blood spattered onto the floor and stained the tip of the halberd as its overwhelming weight forced Xun to drop it. Cao Jin had one hand to his wounded cheek as he lurched away from the awry of dancing flames. Xun rushed at him in contempt with his saber targeting the prince, who stood rigid and braced.

Suddenly, Cao Jin raised his open palm and caught the unyielding saber in his fist. With all his strength, he held it tightly between his hand and it sliced vindictively into his flesh. To Xun's utter surprise, the prince's expression remained stern and before the strategist could respond, he was struck hard at the jaw by Jin's elbow.

Lu Xun stumbled back, releasing the saber and Jin was on him before he could even fall. The prince had the hilt of the saber in his bloody hand now and with a vehement strike left a gaping slash from Xun's shoulder to his abdomen. The slice wasn't deep enough to kill but enough to gain a cry of agony from the general.

The fire roared, eating at the dry fabric of the robes on the floor.

Braced for another blow, Xun was on one knee and had both hands to his bloodied chest. Unarmed and exhausted, he stared down at the burgundy liquid that flooded from under his thin armor, in defeat. The dark prince stood over him, blood dripping from his cheek and onto his tarnished breastplate. His eyes were dark with ambition and he knew the victory he had long awaited was at hand.

Through the crackling of the growing flames, Xun heard him mutter, "Isn't this an interesting site?" His query was fraught with mockery and he devoured the triumph with jubilant hunger. He placed the blade at Xun's throat and lifted his chin to meet his vacant eyes, "Death by your own weapon. You failed her, but do not fret, I'm certain you will be together soon enough"

Xun watched as the blade was raised over his head. And for a moment, time stopped and the memories that had led up to here flooded through his mind for perhaps one final instant. He remember the evening he had met Sun Xuan in the peach garden, on the night he had tried to comfort her after hearing of her father's death. Then he recalled giving her the rose and swearing to avenge her for what Cao Jin had done to her. Then the moment he tasted her lips. It seemed like an eternity since he was able to just stand with her, with no fears and no worries over tomorrow.

Abruptly, he was drug from his reverie by a piercing sound.

Blood was drenching Xun's face and neck, but it was not his blood. Above him a blade was protruding from the prince's heart, it was his other saber. Jin still had Xun's saber raised over his head but it fell from his limp hand and clattered deafeningly next to Xun.

"…Xu…Xuan…" The name fell feebly from Jin's lips.

His expression was vacant and his eyes were glassy as he stared onward as if to no where.

But he could see; he could see his mother, waiting with arms wide open. Finally, in so very long, the pain, the hatred that was instilled in him was gone.

The young Wei royal fell to his knees before Xun, who was standing in awe. Though his face was empty, Xun could see relief in the man's eyes and as he fell to the side, the strategist swore he saw the prince smile.

Sun Xuan was gaping at the corpse; she had finally done something she couldn't do for so long. And suddenly, remorse made her heart ache. Her head still throbbed and the pain and the anger for the prince were still strong in her soul, but when her eyes met Xun's, she couldn't feel anything but reprieve.

"Xuan…" Xuan heard him murmur in incredulity. She could find no words to express her sorrow for being angry with him and for the slander she had used. But it was clear that none of that matter anymore as he took her into his arms. Though wounded and exhausted, they finally would be together.

Suddenly, the fire erupted as it engulfed the room in its rage.

"Come, we must go," Xun murmured, holding her close as he watched the madness of flames. Xuan nodded, her head on his shoulder and eyes on the lifeless form of Jin who, she hoped had found his own peace in the end. And then, they faded into the darkness of the hall; bloody, but united.

**-- **

**TT Do you kno how much it hurt to kill him? A LOT. Evil but loveable. –sigh- Sorry for the lovey dovey gushiness in this chapter. Had to make a point. But anyways, the story's not over yet, I promise to update soon :D bye**


	38. Out of the Cold

**Now that I have my senior assignments at bay, at least for now, I can finally update for you. Almost to forty! Seems like a lot of people wanted Jin dead, no? He wasn't THAT evil hehe **

**------------ **

_**Chapter 38 **_

**Out of the Cold **

The Wei palace, the third floor…

He had a tight grasp on her hand, certain not to lose her this time, as they turned onto another corridor. The path was dark before them and the realization of the thinning time was settling into Xun's thoughts with each passing moment that they couldn't locate the stairwell. As they reached another fruitless cross-section of hallways, Xuan stumbled for the umpteenth time from her vertigo.

With no word, he dragged her to her feet and sped down the boundless corridor. Her breaths had become short and feeble, but he was unable to permit her to rest. In the haze of dizziness, she could vaguely distinguish the doors of empty chambers left open and the wall ornaments now lying in heaps on the floor. The still air was cold against her dirty face and the nicked floor pricked the bare heels of her sensitive feet.

Finally the black opening in the floor led them onto the third level. But at the bottom of the stairwell, Xuan had taken all she could manage.

"I can't do it," she murmured with sodden eyes as she struggled to even stay on her knees, "I cannot go any further…"

"You must," Xun said sternly, aware of the diminishing time unlike her, "I've come too far to leave you here, I refuse to do that again"

Abruptly he spun and pulled her limp form onto his back. She held tightly onto his collar, blood bathing his back and neck, though he felt no repulse of something he had seen enough of in his short life.

The pound of his footsteps was pacifying, but Xuan resisted the desire to fade into unconsciousness. Instead, she concentrated on his grip on her thighs as he fought to keep her flaccid form from falling. Though it was not to moment to be modest, she felt her pounding heart ache. But concern interfered with her hazy reverie; though she was smaller than he, she knew the battle with the prince had left Xun exhausted. Perhaps, before sunrise, it will truly be Cao Jin's victory.

As Xun crept cautiously down the stairwell and onto the second story, Xuan felt Jin leaking into her thoughts. He had beaten her, condemned her, and threatened everything she had remaining to love. His sadistic smile and black eyes were burned into her memory. But she couldn't hate him, because he had suffered in ways she couldn't imagine herself suffering. When she discovered her father had been stolen away, Xuan had believed no one could despair as much as she had.

Cao Jin had taught her to overcome anguish, for that she was thankful.

"Zhou Yu," She heard Xun state in relief as the thud of his footsteps slowed then halted. Xuan was pleased by her uncle's presence; simply that offered security.

"Xun, we cannot leave yet," Yu announced sternly with one hand wrapped tightly around Zhou Ying's hand. The sight of Xuan stunned both she and Xian, who was particularly staggered by the blood of someone so motherly.

"I fear Lord Sun Quan is still in the palace," Yu continued, distantly examining Xuan.

"Jin is dead; his minions will undoubtedly flee," Xun replied reassuringly, slouching in tire.

"I have reason to believe Cao Jin was never our true adversary"

Xuan's eyes fluttered open as she realized, "Sima Yi," the name seemed to fall from her lips as if she was reviving from coma, "He's been using Cao Jin from the beginning…"

"Then it is as I thought," Yu murmured, seemingly unfazed.

Lu Xun gritted his teeth; he couldn't bare another fight, not with the Wei strategist. In addition, the palace could go up in flames at any moment though Tong has most likely gone astray.

"Then we must find them quickly," He murmured as he set Xuan to her feet, unable to bare the weight any longer, "We will be victims to our ploy and it will be shame that I die with"

------

Meanwhile…

The inferno had spread, engulfing the dwellings of the outer city. With fierce hunger, it swallowed empty market stalls and abandoned wagons. The streets were littered with empty market stalls and abandoned wagons, spilling dry hay in messy heaps across the bloodied cobbles. Bodies of the innocent and their murders lay haphazardly on the grimy paths that snaked through the capital.

The two Wu generals stood before the closed gates to the palace, still waiting for the young strategist's plan to fall into play. They prayed that their companions still locked within the dark palace would escape unscathed. With every passing moment, they feared the thunderous boom of that would send the castle toppling.

Fatigued but undaunted still, Lu Meng raised his pike to an oncoming masked adversary and with a harsh slash, he thwarted one after another. And still they came, flooding the streets and setting ravenous hellfire's to the empty homes.

"How is there still this many in reserve?" Taishi Ci inquired as he lunged a steel rod into the gut of another bandit, watching as he fell with a cry. He and Meng had been thwarting the army of bandits from reaching the palace, yet they couldn't protect the entire perimeter from the unrelenting horde.

"The prince must have been recruiting for quite some time," Meng replied curtly, propping himself against the halberd, "It is repulsive to see the innocent suffer still"

In the distance, morning was dawning; casting light over the mayhem of the nights pass. A burst of vivid color swallowed the east, engulfing the black of the night sky, yet the sorrow would drone into the new day.

But there, on the jagged horizon, an army drew nearer. Soldiers dressed in emerald clad with swords and pikes brandished in the morning light stormed the capital. Within moments, the empty streets were crowded with allied troops. Thousands upon thousands of them; with loud cries they flooded the city, cutting down the navy brigade. Suddenly, the entirety of the city was swarming with Shu soldiers.

Panicked and ambushed, the blue clad bandits scattered, letting the jagged hooks clatter to the stony ground. Volleys of arrows rained over the streets, striking them with strict precision. So rapidly, the tide of this battle turned.

"Finally they have come!" Ci stated, laughing.

Liu Bei approached, mounted on a gallant steed and storming down the main street. Behind him followed his loyal Five Tiger Generals, harnessing weapons and prepared for battle. Jerking on the reins, the Shu Emperor addressed Lu Meng, "Where is Sun Quan?"

"Inside the palace, I am certain," Meng replied in fatigue, "Thank you for your assistance, Lord Liu Bei, we are in your debt"

"Lu Meng!" Sun Shang Xiang called, riding to the frontline. She was dressed in green robes and missing her Chakrams, "What has happened?"

"Chaos, My Lady," Meng replied, half bowing, "Lord Sun Quan, Lord Zhou Yu, Lu Xun; they are all still within the palace. I'm afraid I only know nothing else, my apologies"

Sun Shang Xiang gave Liu Bei a poignant expression and he regarded her sympathetically. Gan Ning appeared just then next to the princess though he didn't seem at all elated about seeing his friends again.

"I must go assist my brother," Shang Xiang said finally, prepared to go forward but a strong hand stopped her. She glanced towards Liu Bei, who's protesting eyes forbade it. She frowned; she had made a bargain with him, if Shu was to rescue Wu, she was obligated to obey.

"I'll go find 'em," The pirate stated distastefully as he dismounted and passing the reigns to a soldier. The princess watched him pass, incapable to stop him or say anything.

"Very well then," The Shu emperor announced, "We shall secure the city, go forth and find Sun Quan"

"I know already," Ning remarked under his breath and through gritted teeth as he approached Lu Meng, who placed a hand on the pirate's shoulder.

"Find Lu Xun, if he still lives," Lu Meng murmured, lowering his head then explaining all the young strategist had planned. After hearing the plot, Ning had plastered a surly grin on his face, seemingly enthused.

"So Xun sent that punk to blow the joint up, eh?"

Taishi Ci nodded, "I'm afraid something has gone wrong though, they should have escaped by this time"

"Why the hell would he do all this when I went through the trouble of getting Shu?" Ning snapped in aggravation, but shook his head and brushed past them, "Whatever. I'll find 'em"

---

A mew moments later, the Wei Place…

"Oh, is that so?" The Wei strategist couldn't resist laughing at the news of the prince's death, "He couldn't even do away with that pesky little Wu rat. No matter, since I have a most valuable prize, what can they do now?"

Sima Yi laughed once again, dark and dangerous it was. Still, he had the empress and the young emperor bound and waiting death. Quan had since recovered from the Sima Yi's control and was spitting insults one after another, though in vain.

"Sima Yi!" Quan snapped, pressed against a wall and fighting the pain in his leg, "You will pay for what you have done to Wu!"

"Oh, will I, by whom exactly?" Yi replied wryly with another cruel laugh, "Don't fret though, I will not kill you yet, not without a proper audience"

While he marveled over his own egocentric brilliance, Zhou Yu and Lu Xun were silent and waiting near the closed door. To Sima Yi's disadvantage, they could hear Quan's bellowing all through the halls. Silent and anxious, like a coiled snake prepared to strike, they waited for a proper moment. Sun Xuan was standing around a far corner with one of Xun's sabers. She refused to leave without him and her uncle though they did their share of protesting.

Zhou Ying was at her side, naturally concerned about her father. Li Xian had her hands tightly clutched to Xuan's dress and was staring with broad, apprehensive eyes up at her. Xuan at them both; disheartened that children had to witness all that they had.

"I want to see my mother," Ying whispered, near tears as she drew closer to Xuan and tugging at the ribbon that her cousin had given her. Xuan couldn't relate; if she blamed anyone for all that was happening, it would be Da Qiao. She could hear her father telling her otherwise, but if her mother hadn't made a bargain with Cao Jin, all who died would still be walking the earth still. Then again, Xuan wouldn't have heard the prince's story, or met Li Xian and Cao Li. And if Da Qiao hadn't taken her away from the boarding school nearly a year ago, she wouldn't have met Xun or feel the way she did for him now.

Xuan pushed the person she both loved and hated to the back of her thoughts and instead, focused on the present. There was no worth in holding a grudge against something that cannot be changed; that, Jin had taught her.

Suddenly, there was a distinct sound of bells down the dark hallway. Ying gasped, averting her wide, terrified eyes. Xuan squeezed the hilt of the blade and wrapped her remaining arm around both children. She didn't believe she could slay anyone the way she had Jin; she was still too drained and too dazed to even lift the blade. As the rhythmic sound grew stronger, she realized both Yu and Xun were too engrossed with waiting at the door.

Suddenly, a figure appeared at the end the long hall with a serrated blade raised.

Xuan felt her heart race, realizing she couldn't even raise the saber or summon Xun without making a commotion.

The figure paused, "Xuan?"

Xuan remained silent, still squeezing the hilt tight.

"Hey, it is you; long time, no see,"

"Who are you?"

Drawing closer, Xuan recognized the figure in the dim light. It was Gan Ning, a man who hadn't been even remotely fond of her when she first arrived in Wu. He fashioned the clinking bells and a boastful grin, just as Xuan had remembered him.

"Wow, what happened to you?" He knitted his brows at the blood staining her robes, "That Wei jackass, I bet"

Xuan lowered her eyes and nodded, "But he is dead"

"Yeah, why the hell are you still in here anyways?" Ning inquired, noticing Xun and Yu standing at the closed door, "The whole place is gonna go up in smoke from what I hear"

"Sima Yi. He has my uncle and my grandmother in that room and Ling Tong is…" She raised her head as an idea formed in her thoughts. Ning gave her a repugnant expression.

"Your dad used to give me those looks, what are you thinking?"

"Ling Tong is in the cellar below the palace," Xuan explained, enthused by the tiny piece of hope, "He's going to destroy the palace once he finds reaches—"

"And you want me to stop 'em from blowin' us to smithereens, right?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Yes, for a little longer"

"Alright, alright," He murmured as he turned his back to her and headed down the hall, "but you owe me"

---

**THE worst chapter yet.** **I know, this chapter could have been better, but I wanted to submit something today and I kinda put myself in a jam I won't say how n_n; It was really rushed, but I hope it was decent at least **


	39. Into the Heat

**Chapter 39 **

**Into the Heat **

Wei, the outer City, Xu Chang. Daybreak…

"Tell me, Shang Xiang," Liu Bei murmured, brushing a hand gently across the princess' cheek, "Are you happy?"

"Yes, of course," Shang Xiang replied with a bright smile for him, though the query was foolish. The battling within the residential district had diminished into lowly skirmishes. The cobbled paths were inundated with blue clad bandits. It hadn't been long since Gan Ning had vanished into the palace. Mounted next to Liu Bei, she silently prayed for him and her kin.

Her mother was inside; the frightful realization settled into her shaken thoughts like a thorn. As was her brother; if they weren't hasty, they would soon join her older brother and father.

"My apologies; you are not, I know," The Shu Emperor replied, gently laying a hand on her shoulder.

Shang Xiang remained silent after that, hanging her head to scrutinize over the precious trinkets Liu Bei had given her to wear around her wrists.

"My Lord," Zhao Yun, one of Liu Bei's faithful general generals, called as he approached on horse back. Untouched by a single drop of blood from battle, the gallant official, bowed his head, "This quarter has been cleared"

"Excellent," Liu Bei replied, regarding Yun with a nod.

"Lord Liu Bei, you have our sincerest gratitude for your aid," Lu Meng stated from where he stood at the palace gates, also with a bow.

"No, I have aspired for Shu and Wu to join against Wei,"

"My Lord, perhaps a suggestion?" Zhuge Liang inquired rather suddenly, appearing at Liu Bei's side with his white fan shrouding half his face.

"Certainly, Zhuge Liang," Liu Bei replied, rather elated.

"Perhaps we are capable of assisting our Wu allies," The enigmatic strategist said, drifting a few away as if his feet made no contact with the muddled ground, "The land is still dry and cool from winters past; it would burn satisfactorily"

The three Wu officials had expressions of pure abhorrence, but remained silent.

"I know well of Lu Xun's ploy," Zhuge Liang stated boldly as he observed the distant Wei Palace, "As well as Sima Yi's"

"Sima Yi, Lord Zhuge Liang?" Lu Meng inquired, tightening his grip around the halberd.

"Burn it, without our support, Lu Xun's plan will come to fruition too late"

"I see," Liu Bei replied in contemplation with his palm to his chin, "Very well, prepare a fire!"

Several emerald soldiers disappeared to the army's flank at the Emperors commands. Unscathed wood from the emaciated hovels were stripped and tossed in a heap.

"Liu Bei!" Shang Xiang shrieked, tightly grasping his sleeve. Her eyes were distraught and panicked, "Burn it, My Lord? My family is still inside! Please, we must wait until they have escaped"

Liu Bei gave her a sympathetic expression before placing his hand to her cheek again, "Don't fear, My Love, I have always entrusted my soul to Zhuge Liang. I am certain he will not let you down"

With that, Liu Bei took hold of the steed's reins and approached Zhuge Liang who was still facing the palace. The spoke silently, too inaudible for her to hear, but she ailed over her family and companions. When she thought of all those who were reportedly within the confines of the deadly palace, the Princess swallowed hard.

Lu Meng and Taishi Ci were at her steed's side, slowly bowing they're heads in acknowledgment. They were exhausted, she could see the tire and worry in they're eyes, but she delighted that they were safe for now.

"Lady Sun, we are at your command," Lu Meng murmured so only the trio could hear over the mass of green, "If Zhuge Liang proceeds and the flames reach the crypt before Our Lord and the others escape, all we have achieved will be in vain. Wu will be no more"

"Yes, I know," Shang Xiang knitted her brows in contempt, "Damn it, if we had warned Gan Ning before he left…Now even he is in grave danger, unbeknownst to him"

Shang Xiang glanced at Liu Bei. She had bargained herself to persuade him into fighting for her family. She respected him and admired his compassion over his people, but it was perilous to fire upon allies. The inferno and smolder would smother them before they could escape the maze. Her mother, brother, and everyone would be lost, and then who would she have? A life with Liu Bei, though he had let them die?

Shang Xiang dismounted the horse and gave the reins to Taishi Ci, "Lu Meng, you and Taishi Ci must stay here should my kin emerge without me"

"My Lady, no!" Ci replied in dissatisfaction, "You cannot, then you as well will be in danger!"

"I must, and perhaps Zhuge Liang is correct, without the fire, we may not be able to rescue anyone in time. Ensure that it happens, I have no other choice. If Sima Yi is truly our opponent, then we are in utter danger"

"But, My Lady"

Shang Xiang disregarded him as she brushed passed Lu Meng and treaded towards the palace gates. Her emerald satin robes trailed behind her and many charms clanked as she stomped heavily. She reached the broad gates and pried her fingers against the fracture. The entrance squealed as she slid the gate slightly ajar. And the sound gained unnecessary attention.

"Shang Xiang!" Liu Bei cried, the scream startling the steed into a rear. But she had already made down the path, kicking off her embellished sandals and racing with her robes held in her arms. The wide path towards the palace was long, but destroyed after the all the chaos. Shang Xiang hissed as jagged stones pierced her bare feet, but she pressed forward.

She could hear horse galloping upon her and then a mounted general barricaded her path.

"Lady Shang Xiang," Zhao Yun dismounted and approached, "You must return, it will not be safe"

Shang Xiang gazed at him for a moment, swallowing hard. Then she turned to face the path behind her; Liu Bei was off his steed and standing with his arms slightly outstretched. He was a fair distance from her along with Zhuge Liang and the Wu generals. Wide-eyed and anxious, he waited for her to return to his arms and she almost did so.

But then many faces clouded her thoughts and many voices filled her ears. Her mother, beautiful, refined, and one who ad always encouraged Shang Xiang to do what made her happy. Sun Quan, it mattered not what he had done to her in the past, he would always be her brother and Wu would be nothing without him. Lu Xun, she admired him for his efforts to save the one he cherished so dearly…and it was then Shang Xiang knew what to do.

She turned back towards Zhao Yun, "I'm sorry, but there is something I must do. Please, let me go"

Zhao Yun wavered, strong eyes boring into her.

"Please," She echoed, "Please"

He had always been her friend when she lived in Shu with Liu Bei. If anyone understood, it would be Zhao Yun, and he did. Regarding with a nod, he let her pass.

"Wait, Shang Xiang!" Liu Bei shouted again, but the Princess had always entered the abyss. He halted before Zhao Yun and with tight fists seethed, "Zhao Yun, why?"

"I will forever be loyal to you, Lord Liu Bei," Zhao Yun replied, hanging his head in shame for disobeying the Emperor, "yet I will always be in The Lady's service, forgive me"

----

Meanwhile…

The luminous orange light filtered in through high windows of the corridors, growing ever slowly into a new day. People die, masses of people, yet a new day always follows. The cruel world never pauses for death, no matter they be guilty or innocent. They die, and it is as if they had never existed, nothing but a figment of the past, a memory.

Many souls of the terrible and the virtuous rose to the heavens that night, yet though there was sadness and destruction, the morning sun shined. Brilliant and new it was in the eastern spring sky.

Sun Xuan had seen death, in the face others and in her own. Still now, as she watched two of the most important people in her life prepare to clash with a wicked mastermind, death hovered close. It was ravenous still, delighted with a black grin. Her small but numerous wounds scaled her body, bleeding less but throbbing still.

Propped against the wall, Xuan held the saber against her knees. The bullion hilt was illuminated in the growing light, evidently Xun kept it polished. But the blade was soaked in blood, the Prince's blood specifically. It reeked of him, haunting her even after his death.

Li Xian and Zhou Ying stood at her side, pressed into each other for security. They're faces were muddled and frightened, Xuan ached for them, for they're innocent eyes had witnessed things they would soon forget.

"Xian," Xuan murmured, gaining the child's wide eyes, "Where is Cao Li?"

Xuan hadn't seen the Prince's young half-sister since they had been dragged back to this hell by her uncle. She had since then vanished; Xuan prayed that the young woman had escaped unscathed.

"I don't know," came the child's sheepish reply as she pressed the hem of Xuan's robes to her face.

Suddenly there was a crash from around the corner. A fabulous violet glow filled the corridor and then there was a woman's cry. Xuan peered into the hall, it was empty but the door Lu Xun and Zhou Yu had been standing at was ajar. There was a spine-chilling laughter echoing from the room, it was undoubtedly Sima Yi.

"Stay here," Xuan ordered to the children before carefully stepping into the corridor. The remainder of the violet light burnt her eyes and stung her already aching wounds. She struggled to keep the saber from dragging on the hardwood as she crept to the frame of the door and peered cautiously inside.

The room was similar to the Emperor's Chamber excluding many of the valuables and smaller in size. A screen was laying flat on the floor and a tea table was sitting next to Sima Yi who was closest to the door at the center of the room. On the walls, like Jin's chambers, swords and spears were hanging and a lit lamp was sitting on the surface of the tea table.

Fortunately, both Lu Xun and Zhou Yu were standing, each brandishing a blade. There were two figures bound at one side of the rather large and nearly empty room. Xun and Yu had somehow crossed to the opposing side of the chamber untouched by the raw violet radiance the Wei strategist had cast.

One of the bounded figures was Lady Wu, alert as she pressed her knees to her chest, unable to witness. The other was slouched and clearly in terrible pain, that was Sun Quan.

"I was beginning to wonder where you lot were," Yi said, possibly with a sneer Xuan could not see.

"So it was you, all this time," Zhou Yu said darkly, standing like a coiled snake.

"Perhaps if you were as brilliant as I, you would have discover sooner," Yi cackled, the black feathers of his fan were pressed to his face, "Seems a little late now however"

"Late? How so?" Xun retorted with a contemptuous expression that Xuan had only seen once before, "The Prince is dead, your plan to use him against Wu has failed"

"Indeed, yet you see the pathetic result," Sima Yi said, extending his fan to indicate Sun Quan and the Empress, "But enough of this redundant prattle"

Suddenly, with a swift swing of the fan, violent lavender light burst in the room. Beams sailed through the hazy air with a screech, imploding as they hit the wall. Lady Wu covered her head with her arms and Xuan clasped a hand over her mouth to impede the scream that rose in her throat. Zhou Yu evaded the fan that cut the air like a knife, slashing at the air in vain. The Wei strategist moved with the fury and speed of lightning across the room towards Xun.

The younger strategist was nearly in the corner, unfamiliar with battling with a single saber. He hindered each of Sima Yi's strikes, who slashed away with a fiendish grin. Suddenly Zhou Yu was at his back with his blade raised, prepared to do away with the demon.

Then, Sima Yi vanished and it was fortunate Xun had his blade raised to evade death by his own ally. Withdrawing his blade from Xun's saber, Yu faced Yi who was across the room with his back to Xuan again.

Sima Yi cackled loudly, "Wouldn't it be sad to die at the end of each other's blade trying to catch me?"

Xuan noticed Yu murmuring something to Xun, but it was far too silent to hear. Whatever it was, Xun seemed encouraged by the words.

"Let us see how you fair against this!" Within a moment, Yi appeared at the room's center once again. An orb of translucent violet energy formed around him; it the glow that surrounded pulsated like a beating heart. With a vicious laugh, Yi raised his fan and the weapons hanging from the wall began to swing to and fro

For Xuan, the black magic controlling the lethal weapons was like tampering with an angry spirit.

Suddenly, the swords and spears ripped away from the hooks. Under his gravity, they weave around him in a sickly dance of magic. Yet the Wu officials stood undaunted.

"Hah!" Yi jeered, swinging his fans and the blades slashed away in response. A spear swung at Xun who evaded with precision, but the previous battle had drained him. He swung the saber blindly, striking the spear at its hilt. The force fractured the weak wood and it splintered, breaking in two and crumbling to the ground.

Violent beams of magic burst from the orb's surface; it was a tremendous powerhouse of magic.

Zhou Yu, also weighted by tire from his battle with the Butterfly General, seemed to be battling two phantom soldiers, each with a sword. Sima Yi was focused on particularly Zhou Yu, it would be his downfall, Xuan could easily see. But Xun was on one knee, supported only by the sturdy saber. Xuan begged for him stand, each moment wasted lowered their chances of escape.

_'He must have a weakness,'_ Xuan thought, observing Sima Yi. The orb looked impenetrable by any ordinary blade, perhaps only magic could defeat magic, _'But how…?' _

Xun was on both feet again, charging towards Sima Yi. He struck the sphere once and threw him back with a thunderous clank of glass. Xun stumbled a few feet, able to keep standing, but the force tore his grasp on the sabers hilt. Xuan watched the blade fall, a faint lavender flush swarmed the attractive metal and it struck the hardwood with a violent scream.

_'That's it!' _

Zhou Yu struck hard and one of the swords spun, ripping from Sima Yi's control and sailing through the door, just past Xuan's face. Xuan couldn't contain this scream, now could Ying and Xian.

"Oh, what's this?"

A tremendous gravity dragged Xuan into the room. She planted her feet, but the pull was too strong for her deny. She gritted her teeth and tightened her grip around the saber, but Yi only cackled at her efforts. His paranormal grasp felt like squeezed inside a box a thousand sizes to small; pressure constricted her limbs as if they would shatter her bones.

"Hah, foolish wretch!" Sima Yi howled a spiteful laugh, pointing the fan in her direction, "You will die the same fate as your wretched father!"

Suddenly there was an earsplitting sound of shattering glass and a brilliant force of light sent Xuan falling backwards. The orb burst, flooding the chamber with violet radiation, which stung her face. There were screams from all around her; she could hear the Empress' cry, the children and her own. Raised on her elbows, she realized Xun was standing over her with both sabers in hand. The blade that had been touched by magic was splintered.

Sima Yi was on one knee with his fan still in his grip. He was no longer grinning or laughing, his expression was stunned and contemptuous. Zhou Yu was at his back, with his blade held just inches from Yi's back.

The swords and spears were lying sparsely on the ground, inanimate once more.

"I-impossible!" Yi snapped, "My magic—Damn you!"

Abruptly, Yi grasped the nearest item, a pike and he was on his feet. With a cry, he raised the lance at Xun and Xuan's eyes tightly closed, prepared for Xun's demise, to feel his blood against her face.

There it was; the horrid rip of flesh.

When she pried her eyes ajar, Xun was still standing. But Sima Yi's violet garments were stained with crimson. A saber was piercing his stomach from the front and a broadsword pierced his heart from behind. Blood spilled from his slightly parted lips, flowing down his neck like stream. His dark eyes were wide and empty.

The blades were removed with a revolting surge of blood. The strategist's empty form sank to the ground and the uncanny ambiance began to depreciate. And when Xun turned and knelt by her with a smile, she knew it was over.

Just then, arrows of fire freely sailed by the window.

----

The lowest level…

Shang Xiang scoured the maze like a lost mouse. Thoughts raced through her mind; what if her mother and brother were dead? What if they're not even here? Where is Ning? Where were Xun and Xuan? Who else might be lost in this hell?

The corridor was silent with exception of her short breaths and the thud of her feet against the floor. As she turned yet another corridor, she found herself at a dead end.

"Damn it!" Shang Xiang snapped, feeling tears form in her eyes. The crypt. That was what Lu Meng had said. Something important was there, something that would end all this. Perhaps Gan Ning was there. If only she could find her way.

Then she noticed figures at the end of the hall. They wore frightful masks and brandished scythes that gleamed in the morning glow. They approached ever so slowly, have crouched and ready to pounce. Shang Xiang bit into her lip, unarmed and helpless; she wondered if she could out run all of them.

Suddenly, a hand grasped her wrist and before she knew it, she was racing back down the corridor. The bandits were at her heels, but her savior moved with swift feet.

"W-who are you?" Shang Xiang was able to utter, attempting to contain her lengthy robes in one arm.

"Where are you trying to go?" The figure, a girl, inquired as she ignored Shang Xiang's query.

"The crypt"

The figure took a sharp turn and they descended into darkness as if they had been swallowed whole. The girl led her down a grimy stairwell and into a musky corridor, where the sunlight made no appearance. Shang Xiang could hear still the sound of the bandit's feet behind them, they were close and impervious. One scaled the wall with precision and landed at the end of the corridor before them.

The girl stopped short and Shang Xiang crashed against her with a thud.

Gradually, the bandits closed in on them. Shang Xiang raised a fist at one, but he didn't seem at all startled.

Abruptly, there was sickening thud from behind her. Turning, the bandit who so meticulously scaled the wall, was lying in a heap on the ground, his shattered skull bleeding through the holes in his mask. Then another sound, the sound of impaled bodies against a blade.

"Well, what do ya plan on doing with that?" Gan Ning inquired with a lowly grin as he slung the pirate blade over his shoulder. He indicated Shang Xiang's lifted fist with his eyes.

Ling Tong twirled his nunchaku in one hand as he appeared next to Gan Ning.

"Gan Ning!" The princess announced in elation, glad to see him at least one more time. Ever since her bargain with Liu Bei, she was restricted from seeing him. Finally, she was freed from that cage.

The young girl pressed against Shang Xiang's back with wary eyes, "Who are they?"

"Allies," The princess replied, "Thank you…you? Who are you?"

The girl smiled wide, "Cao Li"

Gan Ning frowned, "Cao? What the hell do you want?"

Shang Xiang glowered at him and turned towards the girl again, "Thank you, I would not have found my way"

"Sorry to interrupt this touching moment, but this joint's about to go up in smoke in just a few!" Ling Tong called over his shoulder, already halfway up the stairwell.

"Yeah, Shang Xiang, we gotta go," Ning grasped her hand and led them from the crypt.

-----

Meanwhile…

The flames crawled in through the open windows, filling the corridors with smoke.

Xuan's heart beat against her chest and her wounds ached mercilessly. But she pressed on with Li Xian and Zhou Ying on either side of her, knowing freedom was closer than ever. She could feel the sun on her face, the taste of spring on her lips, it was there.

Lu Xun and Zhou Yu were behind her, half dragging a groaning Sun Quan down the stairway. The agony was evident on his face as it was on the Empress', who was treading in exhaustion just behind Xuan. She was seemed as if she wasting away, with her untidy faded hair and tattered robes. But she tasted what Xuan had waited so very long for. Freedom.

Suddenly, there was a crash above them as the upper levels of the palace crumbled. It was a thunderous boom and soon the ground under their feet would be crushed by a smoldering inferno. Xian cried, grasping Xuan's hand tightly.

The corridor behind them collapsed and a wall of smoke swarmed the thin hall, engulfing them.

Xuan treaded through the haze as the filthy air filled her lungs. She searched the maze for the final stairwell that would lead them to liberation. A din of thunder surrounded them, turning screams into inaudible whispers. Time was quickly fading and death was looming from above and climbing from bellow. Xuan could see its hideous, ravenous face. It's wide, grin poured smoke into they're face.

It had beaten and stolen so many from this world. But it would not take them, never, not now.

Finally, there it was, they had reached the stairwell. The steps swiftly passed beneath their feet as the floor above was engulfed in the hellfire. Reaching the bottom, Xun collapsed in exhaustion. Sun Quan fell as well without the necessary support.

"Xun!" The sound of destruction thundered over the voice, but through the shake of the ground, Xuan noticed several figures approach. It Ning and he didn't pause for formalities. Instead he pulled Sun Quan onto his back and pressed forward. Shang Xiang appeared with Cao Li close behind.

"Xun, get up!" Ning snapped over the roar of the inferno.

The ceiling began the fracture.

The exit there, right before her. Tong and Ning brushed passed her with Quan as did Shang Xiang and Cao Li. The girl tugged on Xuan's sleeve, biding her to follow, but Xuan tore from her grasp and returned down the hall.

"Quickly, Xuan!" Zhou Yu ordered, taking Li Xian and Zhou Yu, and then vanishing from the palace.

The roof began to crumble and smoldering boards began to crash on the floor.

Sun Xuan was at Xun's side as he finally regained his footing. There wasn't a spare moment for words, yet none were needed. Happiness was at they're fingertips. Lu Xun grasped her hand led her back down the corridor and into the brilliant sunlight just as the corridor crashed. She couldn't see anything but him in front her.

Suddenly, it happened. The boom was astonishing; flames and debris were thrown into the sky. The explosion roared and the palace had truly become a hell from within. The blast sent trees and people alike tumbling and it swept away the freshly grown leaves. Both Xuan and Xun toppled not far from the hellfire, lying in triumph in the end.

When she looked at him, she discovered his exhausted eyes gazing back. Finally, with the raining of the ashes, the wounded Phoenix of Wei had fallen.

The soldiers rejoiced, but Xuan couldn't see or hear any them, nor the ruins that once was the desolate nightmare of the palace. She could only see Xun lying next to her, never had she wished for a happier ending.

-----

**Wow, I am so tired. If there are any typos, sorry about it but it's so late. Personally I didn't not like the section with SSX and Cao Li, it was rushed, but please forgive me -____- ****But this is not the last chapter**** so keep a watch for last part which will be installed within a few days. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the story thus far =)**


	40. The Calm

_**The Final Chapter**_

**The Calm **

She sat silently in a wide room filled with sent of jasmine and the sun's brilliant light that poured in from the windows. She wore vivid robes and stockings that masked the painful remnants of the past. In her hair was a pendant; a luminous butterfly that glistened brightly in the light. It had been a gift from someone long since freed from the wrath of this world. Now it was a tiny fragment of if his grief-stricken memory.

He had taught her so much, though she would never be able to express it to him in this life. He was gone, but the pendant would forever be a precious keepsake.

Since the fall of the Wei Palace a few months before, a calm cascaded through the Kingdoms of Wu and Shu. Peace never lives an eternal life, because there will always be an evil that will grow and erupt to consume that peace. But one learns to cherish everything while it is there to nurture.

The Wu Palace was silent today. Sun Quan had healed from his injury and was busy mending the many affairs that went unfulfilled when he was under Sima Yi's jurisdiction. Sun Shang Xiang was living with Liu Bei in the Shu Kingdom and it would perhaps be the source of trouble to come. Gan Ning had followed her there, dubbing himself as her protector. Only time would know what the future of them would hold.

Zhou Yu, with his wife and children, had traveled to a distant place. He had said that he wanted to visit an old friend's memorial, hoping he would be there, waiting.

Sun Xuan sat idly at a desk with a piece parchment and ink rested on the polished wood before her. The parchment, for now, was empty of words, but on it and numerous ones like it, she hoped to recollect on everything that had happened. Just as Lu Xun had done.

And if they should ever be separated everlastingly, she would entrust it with him for eternity.

With nimble hands, Xuan held the brush and placed it to the delicate paper and wrote:

'_Late Spring, _

_There are many things in a life one should learn; to respect, to love, to forgive. I once knew not the meaning of these words and perhaps Heaven wanted to cleanse me of that ignorance. Yet there are those that I may never meet to express all that I've discovered. After that night in Xu Chang, I hadn't seen my mother, Da Qiao, since. _

_Some say she vanished in shame, but whatever the reason, I may never feel her presence again. Nor will I be able to mend to sorrowful gap between us. I fear she is gone forever, I long for closure that I may never see. She is somewhere within this cruel world, whether it be near or far, but I will always welcome heart into my heart again. If only she knew. _

_Tomorrow, Xun and I will depart to his birthplace, where he had documented much of his life and where we will be wed. It had been greatly rebuilt since his childhood, but when I look at him with the passing of each day, I notice he is uneasy. Terrible things had happened to him there, but I will do my very best to make it a visit to rejoice. Xian is excited for this new journey. I had decided that though different blood flowed through our veins, she would always be ours' _

Xuan paused when she felt a gentle kick against her belly. Smiling, she started another line:

'_I suppose everything that occurs is at Heaven's decree and it was meant to be. With all that I know now, I would not question my past or blame my father as I once did. _

_And if there ever was or ever be a time when true love ruled over tradition, I would be able to say that I was fortunate enough to feel what most long a lifetime for' _

The door behind Xuan creaked open and Lu Xun entered, obviously weary. But he greeted her with a smile as she rose from the table and approached him, placing a hand on either side of his face.

"Tomorrow then?" She murmured with an encouraging smile.

"Yes," He replied, placing a tender kiss on her lips before adding, "Then the real adventure will begin"

**The End. **

**First, I want to thank everyone who read and enjoyed this story all this time. Your support inspires me at an extent you couldn't imagine. And I hope I have made this read a decent one for you. Personally, I want to thank EverKitsune, Zhou Ying, Paupu, H.S., and Blufle, whom I miss and I hope is doing well. If it weren't for all of you, I don't think the conclusion of this story would have come. Also I want to thank everyone else who reviewed and added this fic to their favorites. **

**I'm still deciding on a story that might transpire from this one, but you'll have to let me know of your thoughts and opinions. As well as any ideas that you might have. **

**If you have any questions, feel free to PM me. **

**Thank you so much for reading. **

**--BlueSun91**


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